(Hey! I'm really glad you guys are enjoying my story so much! I feel like a broken record saying that so much. But honestly it's inspired me to try and write a book, lol. I will absolutely continue to write this fanfic though! I must see it to its end! You reading this and writing your honest thoughts about it has made me really happy. So - without furthering my chatty thank you's lol. Here's the next few chapters. We're in the endgame now ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) )
Chapter 20: Natsu's POV:
However long he'd been staring… it was too long. Things had moved again. People had moved. Away from Cana. Almost like refusing she was gone. If no one touched her lifeless body, then no one would notice she was gone. She wasn't gone… Yet, she was. Natsu felt anger rise within himself as it did so often. His friends and family wrongfully hurt made his mind alight with fire. His heart hurt, something so painfully aware that someone was missing from his heart. From his guild. From his life. He knew he wasn't quite as close to Cana as Gray or Lucy or Levy, but that was enough. The fire dragon slayer worried for all of them. He knew they could overcome a lot. They had in the past. He'd watched another Lucy die before him too, it wasn't his Lucy, but it was another Natsu's Lucy. Even if that Natsu had died before everything they experienced. It didn't matter, it still hurt. Natsu could feel a hand on his shoulder and he looked over at Gray, the man seemed to be hurting more than angry. "We can't leave her like this…" Gray appealed, "Help me bury her. Something… We can't-" He continued, then was stopped by the sound of thuds and rustling leaves. Natsu turned with Gray and saw Gajeel and Juvia wobbling to try and catch themselves from falling over. The uneven foliage didn't make it easy to stand on. "The hell?" Gajeel barked, finally looking up at the rest of them who stood, distraught. Natsu couldn't help but think at least the man had the right question. He didn't know either.
Although that didn't instill confidence either. Natsu looked back to Gray for a second, nodded and then pointed to Cana on the proverbial ground. "Any ideas, Gajeel?" He asked the iron dragon slayer as he moved to Cana's halved body. The longer he looked, the longer his heart ached. The more his hands began to feel clammy. He had no idea where he was even supposed to pick her up. He didn't want to disrespect what was left of the woman by recklessly handling her. He didn't want more to come out of her. Natsu looked back up at Gray and could see the other man had the same feelings. Mutual discomfort in unknowing. In looking, too, he imagined. Then his eyes shifted to Gajeel and Juvia. The rain woman with tears in her eyes and Gajeel staring blankly at Cana's destroyed body. They all stood silently amongst each other for a minute, talking with silence. Embracing the fact that one was not with them. Would never be again. Brutally missing from them. Gajeel was the first to break the silent conversation, however. Natsu peered at him as he spoke, "Well.. one idea… but none of you are going to like hearing any of it…" The iron dragon slayer explained, glancing to Juvia. Natsu felt the temperature around him drop. He didn't even need to look. He knew it was Gray, the iron dragon slayer sounded grim and none of them liked the sound of that. Natsu feared for someone else's life. Out of the ones here, two teams were missing. Plus Master Makarov and Erza and Laxus. Lucy was Natsu's first concern. Then he realized Freed and Wendy were still gone. Bickslow too.
What was he to do if Lucy had actually left him for good? Perhaps in the same manner that Cana did. His heart couldn't take that. He felt almost desperate to know, "Tell me, Gajeel." He demanded, his voice falling flat at his friend's name. He had marched close to Gajeel and held his shirt, weakly. Nearly ready to cry himself. "Is Lucy okay?" He asked, but Gajeel was interrupted by Levy speaking softly, coming around from behind Gray. "Gajeel? I'm so glad you're okay." She held her hands close to her chest, as if trying to hold her heart steady. Natsu glanced back to Gajeel to see the man smile slightly and then frowned. "Lucy's… fine." He said flatly. Natsu seemed less than fine with that answer. He raised an eyebrow and tried again, "Fine? What's that supposed to mean? Where is she?" Natsu badgered Gajeel, before the iron dragon slayer pushed him off and went to hug Levy. Then leaned his arm on the short girl's head. Receiving a pout from the blue haired woman.
Gajeel answered again, "I wouldn't worry about her. She's smart. She's resourceful. She's got Bickslow with her, I'm fairly certain he'd do anything to protect her. Seems mutual, actually." He explained, and Natsu felt the temperature lower again. This time, Natsu looked at Gray, but Gray continued to stare at Cana's lifeless eyes. "Gray?" Natsu asked, receiving a glare.
Gajeel seemed to understand and chimed in a second time, "Look, I know it's hard to look at, but that might not be our Cana. There's some shit we've learned. It ain't nice. Just, don't get your hopes up. Cana might actually be dead. You're going to want to listen to me before you bury her." He began to explain. All eyes were on the darker dragon slayer as he told them what he'd learned with his time around Lucy and Bickslow. How it had somehow revolved around Lucy and her spirits. The seven years of skipping time. About some freakish anomaly that was caused by Achnologia and Mavis. How it somehow became Lucy's fault that her spirits "stole time" from the anomaly. Natsu felt confused. As he so often did when it came to larger things than himself. He worried for Lucy. He worried for Wendy and Freed too. He still wasn't sure where he stood on Bickslow. Though it didn't make him feel any more confident that the seith mage was the one Lucy was stuck with. He was her partner in this, he understood that part of it. Why they were together in the first place. But the Anomaly had his mind wracked.
"That's not all, though." Gajeel continued, Natsu looked back up at Gajeel and listened with great interest. "I've seen some messed up shit in my life… but Cana? Bickslow and Lucy?" He faltered slightly, pulling Levy closer to him, as if for comfort. "Juvia and I, along with them. We watched multiple of them die in front of us. One Lucy drowned. One Bickslow lost his eyes… and somehow lost his bottom half like Cana here." He explained, "But it wasn't our Bickslow. It was another from another time? Same with Lucy. In the maze, it seemed to be a death sentence to remain there. If you couldn't get out, you were dead. We had turned corners that had just dead versions of themselves." Natsu heard Juvia sob, turning away from everyone else. Clearly it was something to see if she was sobbing from seeing it. If Gajeel had trouble saying it. "I gotta get to Luce. I've gotta help her!" Natsu blurted. His friend was in danger, he felt he could help. Gajeel put his hand up, "We tried to stick with them, what makes you think you won't get sent away from them again?" He asked the fire dragon slayer.
Natsu wasn't sure he had an answer. His first reaction was to just go. To help. To fight. What could he fight, though? An Anomaly wasn't something he could fight with fire, he knew that much. It was invisible. Suddenly Natsu felt himself more afraid for himself, for everyone. "But… we've gotta do… something… to help. Right?" Natsu asked, turning his attention back to Elfman and Lisanna. Then to Gray and Juvia. Gray looked more defeated, eyes darting between Cana and Gajeel.
"We bury Cana and I'll fight whatever the hell this thing is. It won't take another one of my friends." Gray swore, his expression hardened. Natsu agreed with him, but he still wasn't sure how to help the poor, dead woman. Then, Natsu watched as the ice wizard kneeled down next to Cana and whispered "Ice make; Coffin." Suddenly, the body was encased in a box of solid ice. At least now, they could carry her without moving too much. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than nothing. "Let's use the stairs." Gray suggested, pointing to where they had come up together. Natsu nodded, picking up the other side of the ice box and moving towards the stairs. He knew he was being oddly silent. Unlike him to be so quiet. But he had no words. No possible answer that would help any of them. His fire certainly wouldn't do the trick. He couldn't burn time away. He couldn't save the Lucy's that had already died. They were all stuck in some nightmare he couldn't wake up from. He debated on asking if any of them were real or not. Even someone like Gray, who had made the air around them colder. Would he feel the cold if Gray wasn't real? "We're comin' Luce." Natsu said to himself quietly. He vowed to himself that he'd save her somehow. That he'd keep her safe. She was his best friend, after all.