I've been obsessed with this song…it's called Mad Hatter by Melanie Martinez. The songs I like scare me…I'm pretty sure that's a bad thing?

Anyway, here's a little AU angst story my mind generated after listening to that song a billion times 3

Chapter 28:

Dead Man's Name

"Run, Lucy," Juvia choked out, the guards holding tight on her wrists. With every sound came blood. "Tell Gray-sama…"

"No…I can't leave you!" she cried, sobs racking her body. Levy held her back.

"Tell Gray-sama…tell him...I…I love…him…" The blue-haired girl's body slumped and they dragged her away. Lucy dropped down to her knees. Levy quickly let go of her.

She let the tears flow in a steady stream, next to the blood that seeped from Juvia's body before she…

Gray ran fast and hard to the guards. He shoved them hard from behind and fell to his knees. He cradled Juvia's lifeless, cold body in his arms. Still looking at his lover, he pulled a knife from his belt.

"Gray!" Lucy exclaimed. She sprinted to him and slapped his hand, which held the knife that hovered over his chest. The weapon went flying and clattered to the ground. Gray crawled to get it, but Lucy grabbed his arms and held him back.

"Gray," she whispered. He stopped struggling and looked at her. "She told me to tell you…that she…she loved you." She choked down a sob, but couldn't stop the tears that had been flowing for too long.

Lucy hadn't realized Gray was already holding the knife. He sunk it deep into his chest, and spoke with his dying breath.

"I loved…her too…" his eyes closed, and Lucy knew his sad smile would be plastered on his face forever.

-:-

Lucy sat bolt upright, panting, from her nightmare. It felt so real. Like she was reliving the scene. But she knew it hadn't really happened again, because she had no tears left to cry. She felt under her eyes, and it was dry. She sighed in relief.

"All the best people are crazy," Levy said to her as she walked past. She told Lucy this every day, to keep in mind while she fought.

Lucy felt a tug on the combat skirt that she wore on top of her iron leggings. On top she wore an iron chest plate; she wore it even in sleep. She had to always be ready.

She looked down, and stared into the big, purple eyes of the little girl staring up at her. She had long, dark green hair.

"My name is Asuka," she hiccupped. Her eyes were swollen and red. The only part of her face that wasn't caked in dirt was the tearstains that went down to her chin. "I…I don't know where my mommy and daddy went…" Tears spilled fast.

Lucy knelt down and took the girl's small hands in her armor-covered ones. "You can stay here for now. Wendy will take care of you, okay?"

The little girl nodded.

"Follow me," Lucy said. The crowds parted for her easily; she was one of the strongest warriors in the camp. She walked to Wendy, and let go of the girl's hand. "Here, just wait. Wendy is right there, see?" She pointed to the blue-haired girl, who was taking care of a baby. Lucy knew whose child it was. But the little girl's parents were dead. They had been dead for a year.

Has is really been a year since Juvia died? She asked herself. She turned away from Wendy, and walked away, her face holding a dark expression. She hung her head.

After a few steps, she bumped into something hard. She stumbled backwards, but a hard metal object slid under her back and caught her.

She looked up, into a pair of onyx orbs. "Better watch yourself," her savior said, grinning. He had pink hair and wore a scarf over his steel armor. Lucy didn't blame him. It was always cold in Magnolia.

But still, it bothered her how clean it was. It was, well…crazy. Her mind drifted back to Levy's mantra. All the best people are crazy.

She wondered if his personality matched the insanity of his scarf's cleanness.

-:-

The battle drew near. They would fight the guards. Lucy was ready to avenge Water and Ice, as she called them. No one dared to speak a dead person's name. Not after Glimmer, after she spoke the old general's name. She disappeared; never returned.

She looked around, and her eyes caught the pink-haired man who caught her fall nearly a week ago. He called himself Natsu. He was to be named 'Summer' if he were to die.

"Natsu!" she called. He turned around and looked for the speaker. Once he saw her, he ran to her, smiling.

"Luce!" he said, grinning wide. "Luce, I have something for you." He pulled something from his pocket, and held it out to her.

It was a fragment of diamond; from the diamond that belonged to Water. He pushed the Representative Slot on her chest plate, and a small container slid out from the middle of her chest. He dropped the diamond in. The machinery inside the armor processed this, then, knowing it was safe, closed. A light whirled around in a circle on her Representative Plate. The diamond was pushed into the clear, gelatinous substance inside the Plate.

"I figured it was fitting," he said, smiling. "Because you're Dead Man's Name is 'Diamond.'"

She frowned. "Natsu, my Dead Man's Name is 'Star.'"

He smiled. "Well, I've changed that for you." A mischievous and happy glint took its place in his eyes and pointed to his Representative Plate, and inside was a metal fragment. Lucy knew it all too well. She knew whom that black-steel knife belonged to.

It was so sweet that he had picked something from Water for her, and picked something that belonged to Ice for himself. They were Lucy's best friends. She had told him that not too long ago.

The epiphany hit her hard; she went dizzy, and had to lean on the wall. It all went together in one click, and a smile crept onto her face.

She wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight embrace, fast as light. "Natsu, I know what you mean," she said, laughing.

"I love you too," she whispered.

The saying came back to her, but she didn't know why. All the best people are crazy.