Finding Their Lost Light

Chapter XIV

I put all my emotions into that single roar. I roared for my guild. For my win. For my pain…For Lucy.

Buildings still crumbled around him, the sounds resonating in the dusty air. Sirens echoed in the air, mages in the area shouting to meet up at the palace garden. I smelt blood in the air, I smelt my friends coming near. But Lucy's was the closest.

I felt rain beginning to fall on my face. Natural rain, not the kind that Juvia conjures up when she upset back home. I knew I could just heat up the air around me so the raindrops would evaporate, but I wanted to feel the sensation of the water cooling down my overheating body.

It felt nice, the way my clothes became damp with the rain or how my spiky hair now matted down and clung to my skin. My pink locks stuck to my forehead, covering my eyes. Hiding the blank look I held in them.

The dragons were gone, everyone was safe. We would be able to go back home together and go on more adventures together.

I was tired, I want to say empty. But, how could I say that when I just saved everyone's futures? Saved Lucy's future? Then again, if Future Rogue was correct, my job wasn't done. Not yet, but I'd have to wait until the time came…Only then I would be sure that Lucy would be safe in the end.

I heard light footsteps coming towards me. I didn't need to turn around to tell it was her. She's always walked softly after a battle and her sweet scent was all I smelled in the air directly around me. I heard her barely whisper my name.

The next second, thin arms wrapped themselves around my waist as golden hair landed on my shoulder, tickling my neck, from the force. Smaller hands gripped my vest as one of my hands gripped the cloak tied around me with the other intertwining itself with her fingers. I smelt salt coming off her, leaving a distasteful smell in my nose when it mingled with her natural scent. I gripped her fingers tighter, as a sign of comfort, when I felt her shoulders heave and shake as she held back sobs coursing through her smaller body.

I tried to do the same, holding back my sobs. In the end I only managed to stay quiet as tears flowed from my eyes. Taking a deep breath and gripping her hands with both of mine, I leaned back to her hug.

"Is something wrong, Lucy?" My voice was quiet, Lucy probably wouldn't be able to hear it if she wasn't so close to me right now.

"No…Not really. Just…" My blonde paused as she took a shaky breath in. "Thank you…Natsu."

"Yeah, always Luce."

I'll always protect her. No matter the odds, even if they were against us, I'll put my life on the line to protect her. Lucy's the light in the guild, the one who always brings life into our family. She's my light, my life. The one who'll always pull me out of the darkness.

I never thought that death would be me alone, surrounded by bright light. I actually thought, considering the hell I raised to Gramps and the Magic Council, I'd be given a one-way ticket to hell. Or at least be surrounded by darkness again. Not this calming silence in light that was warm and made me calm. This wasn't hell or heaven.

Maybe I'll see Lucy here, but most likely not. Lucy's definitely going to heaven. There's no way that sweet, pure-hearted Lucy would be sent to hell.

Soon enough, the light began to fade away. The end of the line for me. It was comfortable to let the light slip away from me, like how I let Lucy slip from my grasp. It was simply destiny for the darkness to take over my body.

Once the darkness surrounded me was when I noticed that I felt wind brushing against me. I could feel. I smelt the air around me, the scents from the forest, flowers, and my guild mates. I heard the distant sound of water running down a river along with the chirping of birds and the wind dancing through grass.

I slowly opened my eyes, only to quickly close them from the bright sunlight hanging directly over me. Rubbing my eyes, I opened them fully to see myself lying down in a golden field. I sat up fully, looking around. Behind me was a lush green forest where the sounds of the river came from. Birds flew overhead, flying towards their next adventure.

I…I was alive. But ho-

My eyes widened in realization. They…Lucy, the guild, and even my past self had managed to save the future of everyone. My future with the guild and Lucy. With one hand on the ground to support my body, I let the other run through my spiky pink locks while letting out a shaky breath.

"Natsu," I heard a quiet voice next to me. I turned my head quickly to see a little blue body lying down on his back beside me. "Why are you moving so much?" He must've been sleeping on my stomach before I sat up and knocked him off me.

I let out a shaky laugh as I picked up my partner and held him in the air. The blue feline's eyes were narrowed with tiredness and he was whining at me for moving him. But I couldn't care less, Happy was alive and that truly meant that I was too.

"HAPPY!" I yelled before pulling him to my chest and hugging the freaking daylights outta him. "You're okay!"

"UFF! Of course…I would…be! Now-" I heard Happy struggle to breathe in my grasp, but I couldn't possible let him go after not seeing my Happy for months. "Can you let me go?!"

"Nuh-uh!" I said in the tone of a child.

"Oi Flame Head! You're gonna kill the poor cat!"

That voice! I smelled the air: the scent of crisp water and wet dog.

Looking over my shoulder, I nearly jumped up in glee and was actually ecstatic to see a naked chest with a dark blue guild mark on it. He looked the same, some scars from battles I have or hadn't seen, and a cold look on his face.

"GRAY!" I yelled. "You're okay too!" I let go of Happy, hearing a gasp of relief from him, as I stood up to grab Gray by his bare shoulders. "This may be the only time I'll be ever to see you Stripper! Half naked and all!" I closed my eyes and smiled to my other best friend slash rival-for-life.

"Huh? You lost your mind or somethin' Dragon Breath?" Gray grunted out.

I clenched my teeth as I felt a vein pop from my forehead. I knew I shouldn't expect him to be all happy as I am. But he was totally picking a fight and I was glad he was for once.

Opening a single eye to playfully slash agitatedly glare at the ice mage. "What d'ya say, Ice Princess?"

"Ya pickin' a fight with me, Ash-For-Brains?"

"You wanna go, Underwear Prince?"

"That's it!" Gray had his fists together. "It's on Natsu!"

I smirked, letting my fist to be lit with flames. My flames. I relished the tingly feeling I felt having my magic coursing through my body once again.

Oh. How I missed my fire! "You're on Snowflake!"

"BOYS!" An all-too familiar booming female voice. "Do I hear fighting?"

Almost immediately, Gray and I went into our act. Wrapping our arms around each other's shoulders, acting all buddy-buddy, just in time to put on a show for a red-haired demon-I mean lady. Her strawberry scent was unchanged and she looked as terrifying as ever wearing her silver armour and holding a sword in her hand.

"What? Fighting? Us Erza?" Gray said exasperatedly. "Never, right Natsu?"

"Aye!" I said, half-annoyed but half-pleased with the usual routine.

"Well," Erza said, putting her sword away, "I suppose it's alright for even the best of friends to fight."

I felt Gray's grip on my shoulder tighten, relaying a message to me: We did this for nothing?!

I gripped his shoulder a little tighter, replying to him: Don't worry, I'll get you next time.

Letting go of Gray, I looked around. Of course I was happy with seeing most of my teammates alive and well again. But, that was it. Most of my team was here, she wasn't.

"Hey," I said, raising a hand to my neck to scratch it, "where's L-"

I stopped midsentence. I didn't feel it. My scarf! It wasn't around my neck. In a panic, I started running around in circles, looking for my scarf. My team looked at me with wide eyes.

"What are you doing Natsu?" Happy asked, flying above my head.

"He's being weird again," Gray whined.

"He's always weird, Gray," Erza said.

"Where is it?!" I yelled, nearly going into losing-my-shit mood.

"Where's what?"

"My scar-"

I stopped running to look at the one who just spoke to me. A voice I hadn't heard in what felt like years. My eyes locked with doe brown ones.

Lucy stood in front of me, back to the forest where she probably was hiding. Her sweet peach scent didn't have the disgusting side of blood, sweat, and dragon mingling with it, it was pure. Her skin was brighter than those years with the dragons, glowing even. Even her hair looked more golden than I had ever seen it in all the years I've been next to her. Finishing it all off with her trademark outfit, was that amazing smile I loved.

"Jeez Natsu, what's with you? You're freaking out," she said. Her voice didn't waver with fear or wasn't racked with sobs.

"I…I" I couldn't help it anymore, I ran from my place next to the rest of our team over to her. I wrapped my arms tightly around her, fearing that everything here was a dream and I would lose her again if I didn't hold her close. "Luce…"

Lucy was taken aback. "Wha-What's with you? Were you going crazy without your scarf again?"

"Huh?"

She pulled back to hold up my white scarf with her left hand. "I went to wash it for you down by the river. It was already dirty, with all the mud wrestling with everyone else."

"Oh…" I said, mesmerized that it wasn't ripped or red with blood. "Thanks, Luce."

She sighed, raising her hands to wrap my scarf on my neck. "What will you do without me?"

I blinked before holding her close to me again. I didn't want to let her go, not yet at least. I felt Lucy wiggle her arms around my waist.

I felt my breathing go ragged for a bit before I answered her, "Hopefully, I don't ever have to find out…again." I whispered the last past so she wouldn't hear.

"Hm?"

I laughed, pulling away from her to show my giant childish smile. But I wasn't able to stop the tears from pricking my eyes. "Nothing, nothing at all Luce. Everything's fine!"

Lucy looked at the tears before raising her right hand to wipe them away. "Oh Natsu," she said with a smile I could never get old of.

"They lllike each other!" Happy teased above their heads, circling the air above them.

Lucy blushed about to pull her hand away from my face until I held her hand in place on my cheek and grinned, probably a blush dusting my cheeks.

"Of course Happy," Gray said.

"They are married after all," Erza said, walking away from us.

"Huh?"

Gray, Erza, and Happy went ahead of us in the golden field, leaving me and Lucy behind. Lucy pulled her hand away from my face before grabbing my hand with her left. It was only then I noticed a simple pair of silver rings on our left hands.

"Let's go Natsu," Lucy said grabbing my left hand with her right hand. "Let's continue our adventure."

I looked further into the field, seeing everyone that I thought I'd lost for years, alive. Behind our team was the rest of our guild, rowdy and quirky as ever. I let a large grin form on my face, offsetting the few tears of happiness that ran down my face.

I gripped Lucy's hand tighter, rubbing my thumb on her guild mark. "Let's go home Luce."

I wouldn't lose her again. I wouldn't lose anyone again. I would make sure that they'll be protected. No matter if I end up broken beyond repair, nothing would take my family's happiness away. Nothing would take my Luce away from me. Nothing will stop me from finding my lost light.

Even in the dark,
They'll find each other.
They're drawn to one another,
No matter the distance and time.

Nothing would stop them
Finding their lost light.

The End

*Gratefully bows* Thank you everyone for going on this crazy journey since I started writing this story. I would want to thank the reviewers for leaving amazing messages and critics for me and to the followers of this story who have so patiently waited for every new chapter! You all are so amazing! Writing this has be truly amazing and I have indeed made some new friends by connecting to some of you guys on this story! It has been an honour to write this story for you and to put a different twist to one of my favourite arcs in Fairy Tail. I'm thinking about writing a sequel to it, basing it off entries in Lucy's journal. Let me know what you think about it.

I'll be continuing The Clingy Mermaid when I can (probably once every few days or less) and updating When We Enter Neverland once a month because of the rad responses to it. I think, if you like post-apocalyptic futures with Fairy Tail, you should check it out.

For now, please look forward to the epilogue of this story.

Once again, thank you for reading. As always, let me know what you think via reviews or leaving me a PM. See you in the next story, Tati