Chapter-19

Demon

Lucy stood on the brink of an abyss, gazing down into the dark, fathomless depths below. She felt unsettled. Where was she? Her place was at Fairy Tail, among her guildmates; not in this deserted, lonely place where not a single soul could be seen.

"Lucy."

The voice that called her was familiar. Lucy turned slowly, her eyes widening when she saw the person who had spoken her name.

"Natsu!"

She began to run forward, and then stopped.

He looked like Natsu….but it couldn't be him, could it? Same pink hair, same onyx eyes….only, those eyes were cold and empty, with not a hint of the usual warmth that resided within them. The smile on his face was insincere and, most disturbing of all…..his trademark scarf was missing.

"You're not Natsu," Lucy said slowly. "Who are you?"

He gave her an unsettling grin. "Come on, Luce, don't you recognize me? I am Natsu, who else would I be?"

"Liar," Lucy said shakily. "If you really are Natsu, then where is your scarf?"

His smirk faltered. Reassured now that he really wasn't her Natsu, Lucy continued. "Natsu's eyes are always warm and comforting. Yours aren't at all! I know Natsu. You'll never be able to fool me."

The imposter shrugged. "Alright, you've got me," He said casually. "I'm not the Natsu you know. But I am a part of him."

"What are you-"

He took a few steps forward. "I'm the part of Natsu that nobody knows about. I'm the part that can take lives without hesitation. I'm the part of him that could put a person through eternal torture, just because I could."

Lucy's eyes narrowed. "Do you take me for a fool?! Natsu would never-!"

The imposter came closer and cut through whatever she had to say. "You claim that you love us. All of Natsu. But that's a lie. I know just how dangerous you are."

He reached up and touched Lucy's cheek, brushing a stray curl away. Lucy shuddered in repulsion as cold from his touch seeped into her skin.

"Stay away from us," He hissed. "Or you will regret it. And so will the Natsu you 'love'."

Lucy pushed him away, a fierce scowl on her face. "As if I'll listen to a liar such as yourself."

His eyes twinkled in amusement. Lucy shrank back as he brought his face closer to hers and whispered silkily in her ear.

"Do as you please. But remember, my dear Lucy…..if you play with fire, you'll be burned."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Lucy awoke with a gasp, to the infirmary in Fairy Tail. She looked around hastily, wide panic in her eyes and once she realized her surroundings, slumped back against the pillows in relief.

"A dream.." She whispered hoarsely and winced. Her throat felt parched and dry, and her entire body ached. "What the hell happened?"

The most important question, though was, what the hell was that dream? Or was it a dream? Lucy shivered violently and pulled the blankets up to her chin.

The door opened and Mirajane came in, carrying a jug of water and a glass. She smiled happily upon seeing that Lucy was awake.

"How are you feeling?" Mira asked cheerily as she poured a glass of water and handed it to Lucy, who drank thankfully.

"Like I was run over by a train," She said wryly after downing a second glass. "What happened?"

Mira frowned. "You don't remember? You used a spell that was too much for you and had a magic overload."

"Magic overload?" Lucy furrowed her brow. Why did the term sound so familiar?

Suddenly, Lucy lurched forward, clutching at her head as a wave of pain and nausea washed over her.

"Lucy!"

"D-Damnit-!" Lucy muttered. "This is so-not-the time-"

-Flashback-

"Juvia!" An eight year old Lucy burst through the doors of the bedroom they shared. Juvia looked up from where she was embroidering a handkerchief, startled.

"Is there something wrong, Princess?"

Lucy shook her head and held out her arm. "Look what Mama drew on me!"

A rune was painted on Lucy's arm, glowing silver. Juvia peered at it curiously. "What does it mean, Princess?"

Lucy plopped down next to her. "Mama said it's the Rune of Love. She said it will fade after sometime, but its power will always remain, so I can keep her in my heart, always."

Juvia smiled softly. "That sounds nice."

Lucy gazed at her contemplatively and then spoke. "Hey, Juvia, give me your hand."

"E-Eh? Why?"

"Just do it!"

Juvia held out her hand. Lucy bent over it and began to trace a rune on the skin, focusing all the magic power she could muster.

Juvia gasped as she felt her body fill with warmth. "P-Princess, what are you doing?"

"Done!" Lucy straightened and beamed triumphantly at her. Juvia stared at the golden rune painted on her arm.

"That is the Rune of Protection," Lucy said. "I'll always protect you, no matter what, Juvia!"

Juvia's eyes filled with tears and she reached out and hugged Lucy.

"Thank you, Princess."

-End of Flashback-

"I'm such a liar…." Lucy blinked away the tears that sprung to her eyes. "In the end, she was the one who saved me….."

"Lucy?" Mirajane asked in concern. The Celestial Mage smiled up brightly at her.

"I'm fine, Mira. Just a bit nauseous, is all."

"I'll call Wendy, then."

"Wait!" Lucy called after her. "How long was I out?"

"Three days."

"I see. Thank you."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Juvia was in the rose garden when Gray decided to seek her out. As she felt his footsteps approaching, a deep flush spread over her cheeks.

She had almost forgotten it in light of everything that happened, but they had kissed, hadn't they? How was she supposed to face him now? Pretend that it had never happened? Yes, that seemed to be the safest option. She would forget about how soft his lips had felt against hers, about his stupidly intoxicating scent, and, and….damn, it wasn't working.

"How's Natsu-san?" Juvia asked, feeling this was the safest topic of conversation.

"Actually, that's why I came to find you," Gray said, a wry smile on his face. He hadn't missed the pink tinge her face had taken when she spoke. Seeing how adorably embarrassed she was made him feel flustered, too; and damnit, Gray Fullbuster did NOT get flustered.

"Is he awake, then?"

"Yeah."

They hurried to the infirmary and caught Natsu red-handed as he was attempting to get out of bed. The dragon slayer looked up guiltily when he saw them.

"Moron!" Gray snapped. "You're not supposed to be out of bed!"

"I feel fine!" Natsu protested and cringed as a wave of pain swept over him, as if on cue.

"You do not," Gray said. "Get your ass back into bed before I punch your lights out."

"Don't mind Gray-sama, Natsu-san," Juvia interjected slyly. "This is his way of showing he cares."

Gray turned red. "D-Don't assume things!"

"Guys," Natsu groaned, flopping down on the bed. "Please take your flirting somewhere else."

"We're not flirting!"

At that moment, there were footsteps and a wild, disheveled looking Zeref burst into the infirmary.

Looking around frantically, he spotted Natsu and his eyes softened.

"Natsu….." He whispered and then lurched forward, catching him into an embrace. Natsu's eyes went wide. He hadn't been prepared for this show of affection, especially after their confrontation in the library.

"You scared the hell out of me," Zeref murmured. "Please, never do that again."

Natsu remained silent.

Zeref's face darkened and he sighed.

It's too late for me, isn't it? Natsu might be a demon…but I'm a monster.

(A/N): Wow, I actually updated on time. What a miracle!

Thank you all for your reviews as usual. Stay tuned for the next chapter, we'll see Natsu/Gray brotp, Gruvia and…ANGST! Plenty of angst. Who am I kidding this entire fic is full of angst anyway.

Next Time: Tears and Frustration

See you soon!