AN: Something short to move things along! Thanks for having patience with me!

"Luce. Lucy!" Natsu caught her shoulders as she lost consciousness and fell to the side. Her dead weight felt uncomfortable in his arms as he adjusted her to lay on her back. She was lighter than she used to be and it made him take a closer look at his best friend. Her face had thinned. Her cheeks weren't hollow, but the underlying bone structure was more pronounced. It would have make her look more attractive if it wasn't for the large bruising under each eye and they way her brow stood out, giving her eyes a sunken look. Natsu pulled the blankets all they way off her body, realizing that if her face had changed so drastically, then there were probably other things that had as well.

Her bust was smaller, but the hard lines of her collar bone jutting out still gave her breasts a larger-than-life look. Natsu blushed at his observation and continued scanning the rest of his Luce. There was muscle tone in her arms, stomach, and legs that wasn't there before, although he could barely see it under the grim that coated her skin. But her hip bones were too prominent to be healthy, removing the gentle transition of waist to thigh. There were scars that he didn't recognize barely visible under the blood and gore that still covered her. He frowned at his discoveries.

These last six months had not been kind to his nakama.

Natsu was having trouble processing exactly how he felt about everything. There was a part of him that was incredibly angry. Lucy should have had enough faith in him to know that he'd never turn against her. Even if he had turned away from his friend, she should have handled it better than just… just erasing herself! He wanted to yell at her and stomp his feet, maybe even burn her precious novel in his rage. Even if he was mad at Luce, he'd never want to forget her.

There was another side of him that was deeply rational about the whole thing. It was like some older, wiser person was whispering in his ear and reminding him of the key facts about Lucy. One: Lucy had abandonment issues / hated to be alone. Two: Lucy grew up with no friends or close relationships, except for Aquarius (who treated her terribly). Three: Lucy's first reaction to causing someone problems or having a problem is to leave. These things combined meant that Lucy had no practice in dealing with hardships in relationships: family, friends, or otherwise. Her father rejected her existence unless she could be made helpful so she'd run away. Her mother was gone and her substitute seemed to hate her. She was alone her whole childhood without friends her own age. After the whole Phantom Lord incident it had taken hours of reassurance from Team Natsu, Master, Levy, and Mira, that she did not need to leave the guild and would not be expelled. When she had left that note about going home Natsu had panicked thinking she fled. This wise, logical part of himself came to the conclusion that It was reasonable to assume that her inexperience in dealing with emotional trauma in relationships could possibly lead to unhealthy and over-exaggerated reactions.

But still… She had just ripped herself out of his life! Like it was no big thing. Avoided him for six, SIX months. Tried, and he guessed succeeded, in leaving the guild for good without him even knowing it was happening. He thought back to the day Laxus had confronted her; the day she had apparently left Fairy Tail for good. Seeing the scene play out in his memory now that he actually knew the significance of the blonde haired woman made his mind rage. He should have stopped her. Hell, the idea to leave Fairy Tail should have never even crossed her mind. He felt like he had failed her, yet in reality it was she who failed. Failed to have faith in him… wasn't it?

Natsu pulled at the covers that he'd stripped off the celestial mage and gently placed them back around her shoulders. "Damnit," the pink haired dragon muttered. He was confused and hurt. Angry and scared. He wanted to turn back the clock so he could figure out what the hell had happened to make things this way.

The dragon slayer sighed and he watched the unconscious girl's tense face. Her eyebrows were knitted together and her body was sweating now. Was she having a nightmare? Was it because of him… or rather 'fake', clone him?

He had imagined a few reactions from Lucy as he told her the news that he had not, in fact, had any part in whatever hateful things were said to her by the white haired impostor. Crying. Lots of 'I'm so sorry'. A hug. A promise to never do that shit again. Maybe a Lucy-kick after he made some sort of cheeky remark. He had not expected her to pass out after turning blue from lack of oxygen. Her reaction to his words just didn't seem real. Since when could a few insults break his Luce like this anyway? She was strong. Hell, Happy had said worse things to her than what that Xavion guy admitted to saying. Right? Was there more?

Frustrated Natsu stood and started to pace the room. He couldn't figure out where to focus his anger. He wanted to punch something into ashes and just resolve this whole thing, but he was beginning to see that it wasn't going to be that easy. And he wasn't entirely sure who to punch and for what reason. Xavion for tricking Lucy? Lucy for jumping into the deep end by messing with his head? Everyone else at Fairy Tail for allowing Lucy to leave so easily? Sabertooth for stealing his nakama? Was she even safe with those bastards? Hadn't this mission nearly killed her, so obviously she wasn't safe.

Whatever, whoever was to blame was insignificant to the major problem: there was something wrong with Luce. Something broken and off. He had missed so much. It was worse than when he'd left to train for a year. But why? She had been fine when he'd come back. She had picked up her life after Fairy Tail disbanded, got a job, and had done well for herself. Sure their relationship had changed a bit when he was back. There were moments when things felt tense between them, but she wasn't like this… this broken thing.

There was a light knock on the door. Natsu could hear the click of the knob twisting and releasing its hold on the wall. He turned and saw Xavion peeking his head into the room. Xavion's eyes narrowed as they came across Natsu's pacing form.

"Bastard!" Natsu growled at the man. His frustration coming to a peak that he planned on taking out on the only person he could. Even if he should be mad at Luce, he just couldn't forced himself to act on it.

"I'm the bastard?" Xavion entered the room. His voice sounded bored, but his eyes betrayed his interest in what was happening as they darted between the pink haired menace and the celestial mage. He shrugged in reaction to Natsu's comment, "I suppose."

"Why is she like this? What else happened?" Natsu demanded.

"Whatever are you talking about… brother?" Xavion's lips twitched into the smallest of smirks. His loathing for Natsu was palpable and seeing the macho dragon's scales 'ruffled' was satisfying in a way he couldn't quite describe.

X wanted to kill the younger Dragneel.

No… That wasn't really it. Not kill. Torture.

All his efforts since Lucy had joined Fairy Tail with the pink haired dolt were coming to fruition right before his eyes. The sad, hateful look in Natsu's eyes as he steamed in anger. The pitiful way he glanced behind him to the small frame of the girl. Natsu would leave here with nothing. His most precious nakama lost to him. Xavion couldn't stop the grin forming as Natsu sputtered in response.

In a blink Xavion found himself pressed against the wall of the hallway outside of Lucy's guest room. Natsu's forearm was on fire and pressed heavily against his chest. The crushing force of Natsu's strike had the wall shaking with the force and a loud crack as rock and mortar broke a part and crumbled to the floor.

"We are not brothers," Natsu snarled.

Natsu's flames were catching on Xavion's shirt, but they didn't burn the man. He, after all, was immune to all kinds of fire. The many curses implanted into his body by Zeref made sure that there was little that could actually harm him.

"Your right, Natsu. We are the same person. I am you, or rather…. You are me."

Natsu didn't know how to reply to that besides snarling in anger.

"Our only difference is what is in our souls," Xavion continued nonchalantly; not affected by Natsu's flames or anger.

"Like hell we are the same! Whatever you've done to her," he pointed back towards his Luce, "I would never have hurt her like that! Never."

Xavion calmly reached a hand up to grip the wrist of Natsu's arm and pulled it away from his person as he laughed. "Oh young Dragneel. It was what you did all on your own that set the foundation of mistrust. All I did… brother… was fan the flames."

Natsu visible bristled, "What are you talking about?"

Xavion rolled his eyes, "Even you aren't that stupid. What is it you did that hurt Lucy more than anything else possibly could?" A pregnant pause. Natsu's face was so delightfully expressive. Xavion could see the wheels turning behind those angry eyes. He could tell the exact moment Natsu realized what Xavion meant and his grin turned down right vicious. "Right. You left her. She's never forgiven you. A few choice phrases said to her over time in different ways and everything she thought she knew about you, believe about you… Poof," Xavion mimicked a magicians hand gesture, make a show of something intangible vanishing.

Natsu couldn't hold back anymore; his mind decided that the soul person to blame was standing right in front of him. The fire dragon moved faster than the average mage could track as he raised his fist up to slam it into Xavion's smug face. How long had this bastard been manipulating Lucy? How many times had he appeared before her looking like Natsu? What had Xavion done to her, said to her, while wearing Natsu's face?

Xavion caught his fist like it was nothing more than a gnat, "Uh, uh, uh, can't have that, can we." The white haired demon activated his teleportation curse, "It's time for you to leave."

Natsu blinked. He was gone.

Xavion smiled. Yes. Everything was moving along nicely.