Chapter Seventy-Six: Cabin in the woods

(May 30th, 2018, Wednesday Evening)

"It's him," Lucy said, staring down at the corpse. Laxus and Cobra dragged it out of the house, laying the body by the porch.

She didn't want to admit her limits, but she couldn't bring herself to go inside that house. There was nothing left for her, no memories she wanted to hold.

Virgo's body was somewhere inside, but what was left was in pieces. Ivan's group tore her apart after Null accidentally killed her, strangling her to death. They feasted on her body for days, even forcing some down Lucy's throat.

Her stomach burned at the thought, acid rising as the urge to throw up made itself known. She pushed it down. There were a lot of things she pushed down, refusing to face.

"How can you be sure?" Cobra asked, his tone lacking judgment.

Lucy understood his concern. The body was late in the decomposition stage, but the clothes were the same. "Those are his boots."

She did her best to stay steady while thoughts of getting kicked in the stomach flooded her head. He had been proud of those boots, the bastard demanding she wipe them off every so often.

She refused most times, resulting in further beatings.

"One of his guys wouldn't wear them?" Gray asked, causing Lucy to take a deep breath.

She squeezed her hand, fingers laced with Natsu's. He had offered it when they said they were going to bring Ivan's body outside, and she hadn't refused. She wanted to be strong, but even looking at the lake house had her body reacting.

Her mind screamed for her to run, to escape that horrid place.

'The danger's over.'

Lucy slowly exhaled before nodding. "He took—" She cleared her throat, chest constricting as she remembered the night Null screamed in pain. "He took their fingers when they touched his stuff."

"Sheesh," Gray said while Laxus made a face of disgust. She didn't catch Cobra or Natsu's reactions, eyes falling back to those boots.

Ivan was protective of what he considered his. "Don't touch my things!" he would shout before pulling out his knife. He didn't have any qualms about cutting into people.

He took a finger from Flare when she tried 'playing' with Lucy without permission.

He took two fingers from Null after finding out he raped her.

'Are their bodies in there too?'She was too scared to look.

Lucy closed her eyes, but that was the worst option. Memories replayed in her head, so she forced her eyes open. "Are we done here?" she asked, voice hollow as she waited for an answer.

"Just about." Laxus nodded behind Lucy, saying, "You're good though. You and Natsu go wait over there. We got this."

Lucy squeezed Natsu's hand, drawing comfort from his presence. He hadn't said much since they arrived at the lake house, but having him near kept her from freaking out. Relying on others wasn't her goal, but every now and then it was okay to lean on a friend.

'That's what friends are for.'

The quote didn't leave her with a bitter feeling in her chest like it had yesterday. Natsu was there for her again, and she felt relief when it was just them.

He walked her back to her father's grave. It was shallow, but to be fair, he was just a skeleton at the end. Bugs and animals must have picked him clean.

'At least he can rest now.'

Though, she knew that wasn't her father's wishes. He wanted to be buried in a specific Crocus cemetery. Her parents had their plots reserved, right next to each other.

Lucy relaxed her hand until she was able to untangle her fingers from Natsu's, her eyes on the rock they put at the head of his grave. "Did you have funeral plans?"

"What?"

She met his gaze, seeing his eyes slowly come into focus as his brows furrowed. 'Is something on his mind?' He was probably just as stunned as everyone else. She didn't have to peek in the house to know it looked horrific. "When you die? I want to be buried."

"Oh, um." Natsu blinked, brows furrowed as he shook his head. "I hadn't really thought about it, but I guess... I've always liked the idea of cremation."

Lucy raised a brow, trying to lighten the situation. She would do anything to rid herself of that unnecessary tension. "A firefighter who wants to be burned?"

Natsu's eyes rounded before he blew out a breath. "Never thought of it like that." His voice was distant, but she saw a spark of life in his eyes.

"I... should've warned you more."

That had Natsu cocking his head. "About?"

"The house," she said, tipping her head back to nod towards it. "I... I know it wasn't easy being in there."

Natsu's confusion didn't fade, but she didn't press. Lucy took in a slow breath, wrapping her arms around her middle as she looked out towards the lake. "It's beautiful, huh?"

Natsu didn't remove his gaze from her for several seconds. When he did turn to the lake, he sighed. "Yeah. We went swimming in it."

"What?"

Natsu nodded, his chest rising before admitting, "Down the road we came on. My friends..." He clenched his teeth, Lucy resisting the urge to touch his shoulder when he seemed stunted. "Just... We—"

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked, jaw going slack when he shook his head. "What's wrong?"

"A lot of things," he said, unable to meet her gaze despite her taking a step in front of him. "I... There's just... a lot to process."

"From the house?" Lucy asked, but he shook his head again.

"Not just that. It's..." He dragged a hand over his face before threading his fingers through his pink hair. "I just wish things... had gone differently."

'You and me both.'

Lucy tilted her head just as a drop of water landed on her cheek. She looked up, realizing the sky was covered in dark clouds. 'When did that happen?'

Before she could wonder when the weather turned, another drop landed, followed by another. She chose to ignore them, focusing on Natsu.

"What's on your mind?"

He swallowed, eyes narrowing before his shoulders fell, a look of defeat crossing his face. "We were—" Natsu closed his eyes, speaking through gritted teeth. "We were right fucking there." He pointed off in the direction they had come from, but Lucy wasn't following. She couldn't take her eyes off his face.

He looked in pain, regret coating his voice as he said, "Our cam—"

"Look what we got!" Gray shouted, holding up something Lucy thought she would never see again.

Gold and black paint adorned the large bow, Lucy's breath faltering as he brought it closer. She didn't think, shaky hands accepting the bow when handed to her. The weight had her hands dipping, forgetting how it felt to hold a real bow.

That particular one had been retired after she won a regional competition when she was seventeen. She had been using a forty-five back then. She had outgrown it, moving on to a fifty and briefly a sixty.

Forty-five was enough to take down a deer, but for anything bigger like an elk or bear she would need larger.

'This could take out a zombie.'

She wasn't sure how practical it would be off base. Most of the time she dealt with the undead up close, but if she perched herself on a roof and let the zombies come to her, she could pick them off without endangering herself.

Lucy turned to show Natsu. She paused when she remembered their conversation, though it felt more splintered than anything. "What were you saying?" she asked, but he was shaking his head.

"It's nothing."

"It's not—" Lucy lost her voice when Natsu's eyes fell from hers. "Natsu—"

"Is that your bow?"

Lucy's jaw went slack, debating what she should do. It was obvious Natsu had something to say, but it was also true he didn't want to talk about it. Her eyes softened, wondering what thoughts were messing with his mind.

She knew they could be relentless and unforgiving. Considering what he could have seen in that house, she knew he deserved a break. She wouldn't push. If he wanted to talk to her about it when they got back to Fairy Tail, she would be ready to listen.

If he didn't want to talk, well, she understood wanting to bury any thoughts associated with that house.

"Yeah," Lucy whispered, handling it with two hands while the string rested against her forearms. "It's a forty-five."

He hummed, feigning interest. She could see the distance in his eyes. His mind wasn't there, but she pretended not to notice for his sake.

"We can test it out, in our backyard?"

Natsu's eyes widened for a second, but his face went back to neutral when Gray asked, "Backyard?"

"Long story," Lucy ended up saying when Natsu chose not to comment. She pulled the bow closer to her body, her attention drawn towards the lake when she saw droplets echoing into the water.

The rain went from sprinkling to pouring within seconds, Lucy, Gray, and Natsu moving under the nearest tree to avoid getting drenched. They waited for Laxus and Cobra to finish, Gray asking Lucy more about the bow since Natsu had checked out. He stared at the lake house, almost in a trance.

Lucy didn't look back at the house. Her dark memories wanted to break free, but she couldn't risk panicking off base. They were without shelter and security, and while they hadn't spotted any undead in a while, that didn't mean they were safe.

'What if Ivan's group isn't in the house? They could still be alive? What if they're still in this area?'

Lucy swallowed, tempted to put her sanity on the line to peek into that house of horrors. A sick curiosity kept pushing her towards it, but the rational part of her won the battle. She stayed put, telling Gray about a competition she did in Alvarez one year where she took third place.

The rain didn't let up. It soaked the ground and shallow grave. Lucy couldn't stop her heart from sinking, knowing her father would hate how things turned out. He wasn't perfect, but at the very least she wished he could be buried next to his wife.

'Mom.'

Lucy took a deep breath, wondering how her mom was doing. Or, rather, how her undead body was after all that time. 'If someone hasn't taken her out, she's probably stuck in that hospital bed.'

That was the last place she saw her mother, blood drenching the sheets as she tore into a poor nurse. It was a sight she did well to block out most of the time. No one wanted to remember their parent that way.

'How does Laxus feel?' Lucy turned to the house when Gray started talking to Natsu. She thought about how Laxus dealt with his father being a convicted murderer. She couldn't imagine it, which further firmed her belief that her dad had nothing to do with the outbreak. Gray's theory was crazy, but it seemed safer to keep her last name a secret.

If she told people now, they might question why she was trying to hide it in the first place. She doubted they would care that she came from money, but she hadn't known that in the beginning. It felt too late to bring it up now, so she kept that truth to herself.

There were still a lot of things she kept bottled up.

The sound of the screen door slamming against the house caught her attention. She looked up just as Cobra yelled, "Think we're about done here." He headed to them, quickening his pace when the rain hit him. "Fuck. Doesn't look like it's gonna let up anytime soon."

"Nope," Gray said, shaking his head. "Hope it's hitting Fairy Tail. The crops could use a good rain."

"True. But it better knock it off at night. I can't sleep during the lightning. Too loud."

"You hear thunder, not lightning," Laxus called, stepping into the rain without a second thought. "Idiot."

"Someone's in a bad mood," Cobra muttered, not bothering to keep his thoughts to himself.

If Laxus heard him, he didn't respond. Instead, he headed towards the road they came from. "We should find somewhere to rest tonight. We don't want to be riding in the rain."

'Or dark,' Lucy thought, knowing the woods could be spooky at night. They had time before the sun set, but the rain didn't look like it was letting up anytime soon.

She followed the group as they retrieved their bikes, her thoughts scattered. She kept running her thumb over the bow as she gripped it, recalling memories associated with archery.

They were a safe topic.

She trained under Sagittarius, an expert in his field. He taught her many techniques and tricks to improve her shot, balance, and endurance. Of all the things her father made her do to better herself, archery had been one of the ones she enjoyed.

It was something she could control. When she drew her arrow back and fixed her eyes on her target, she felt unstoppable.

"You okay?"

Lucy looked up, surprised to see Gray standing in the threshold of her chosen room. They were at the next lake house down the road, smaller than the one her family owned. She picked a room with two beds, hoping Natsu might stay with her.

She knew she was playing a dangerous game by not cutting off whatever intimate version of friendship they had entered, but what was she supposed to do? Her mind was muddled after the day they had. Being near Natsu made her feel safe.

She wasn't ready to set boundaries yet.

She wasn't sure if she would ever be ready, even if she risked her heart getting broken.

"I'm fine," she said, nodding when Gray asked if he could come in. "Find anything to eat?" She doubted they would. She searched the nearby lake houses and took what she could, but the options were limited. Still, she could have missed something.

Gray shook his head. "The place was raided, but Natsu's working on a fire to cook us dinner."

Lucy blinked before tilting her head. "How?"

She knew where the food came from, Makarov sending them with a few cans of food for their mission. Lucy didn't understand how Natsu was going to make a fire in all that rain.

Gray snorted, sitting on the other twin bed before running his fingers through his dripping hair. Lucy's hair was drenched too, wrapped in a towel she found in the bathroom. Her clothes were laid out on the floor, Lucy currently wearing someone else's outfit.

'Nobody likes a shady beach'was printed on a tank top meant for someone with a bigger build than her, but it was among the most appropriate clothing she found. Gray sported a shirt that said, 'I'm here to eat ass and drink beer and I'm all out of beer'. He wore it inside out, but she could still make out the text.

She hadn't seen what Natsu was wearing, figuring it had something similar on it. The cabin must have been rented to a bunch of frat boys given the limited supplies and abundance of 'party favors'. There was plenty of alcohol in the kitchen, but Laxus made it clear no one was drinking a drop while off base.

"The genius thinks he can build one on the porch. If he can do it without setting the cabin on fire, I'll eat my words."

Lucy raised a brow. Her body was both mentally and physically drained, but even she couldn't pass on an opportunity like that.

"Well, better you eat words then..." Her eyes fell to his chest, Gray's pale face burning with a blush when he caught on to her joke.

"Seriously, who wears shit like this?" He tugged at the shirt before letting it go. Lucy didn't fear if he stripped. They had a rocky start, but Gray had grown on her. He was like Natsu's polar opposite but still a good guy. 'Even if he's somewhat okay with what Hargeon's doing.'

That was a subject she didn't want to tackle. She would prefer leaving all hard topics alone for the day, but Gray had other plans.

"Anyways, I uh, I wanted to see how you were doing. You know, with everything going on?"

Lucy pressed her lips into a tight line, managing a nod before her eyes fell to the floor. "Okay, for the most part."

"I'm sorry about your dad." Gray paused, Lucy hearing the uncertainty in his tone. "And... sorry about... what happened to you."

Lucy fought a reaction, but it was no use. She looked up, seeing it on his face. He knew, and denying it wouldn't do either of them any good. "I... guess it's obvious," she said, biting her inner cheek as she turned towards the door, seeing it still open.

Gray took the hint, not diving into the matter. "I thought, well, I figured something happened, but—" He shivered as he shook his head. "I'm really sorry you went through that. I..." His brows darted in, shifting on the bed to get her attention. "I'm more sorry now for yelling at you. If I knew—"

"I didn't want anyone to know," she said, her voice more clipped than she meant. She took a deep breath, her heart racing as her thoughts tried overwhelming her. "I didn't want people knowing, so, part of that's my fault. I..." Lucy's head dropped, a deep yearning to change the past setting into her bones. "I wish I'd said something sooner."

She had thought it was her secret to keep, but she put people at risk by not speaking up. Who knew how many people Ivan hurt after she escaped. Had she said something, he could have been dealt with sooner.

'At least he's gone now.'

Lucy didn't mention it to the others, but there was another reason she knew that body belonged to Ivan. The corpse's left arm was in a makeshift sling with a good portion of the bone showing. She still remembered the sound of Ivan screaming when he and Null got into an altercation.

It was after Ivan got back from a trip outside, finding out what Null had done to Lucy while he was gone. The two ended up fighting in the living room. Lucy had been locked up so she wasn't sure exactly what happened, but the fight resulted in Ivan breaking an arm and Null losing two fingers.

Lucy also got punished after that. Despite doing nothing wrong, Ivan took out his frustration on her.

That was a day or two before her escape, the bone not having time to heal.

'Which means Ivan died shortly after I left. He—'

"I don't think—"

Lucy held up a finger, cutting Gray off. "One minute." Her forehead wrinkled as she searched her memories. She didn't want to relive the trauma from that day, but she needed to know. 'I'm not one-hundred percent, but I think Ivan was wearing that exact outfit the day I escaped.' That didn't say much. It wasn't as if they had an abundance of clothing to choose from. Still, it gave her a spark of hope.

'If he died soon after I left, then he didn't get a chance to hurt anyone else.'

It was the smallest silver lining in the thunderstorm that was her mind. She regretted not telling anyone about Ivan until months after her escape, meaning he could have harmed more innocent people.

If he was put down shortly after she left, then she could release some of the guilt she carried.

Lucy leaned into that feeling, embraced by the gentle calm that came with thinking she hadn't messed up someone else's life. Ivan had mentioned wanting a new plaything, specifically telling her he never kept his toys alive for long.

No one else had to suffer by his hands. She held onto that, hoping with everything she had that it was the truth.

Lucy was going to keep that to herself, but one look at Gray's face had her wanting to spill. Maybe she wanted Gray to understand, or maybe she wanted someone else to agree with her thinking. Either way, Lucy moved to close the door, not wanting Laxus or Cobra to overhear her.

She didn't realize the two had sharp hearing, but she didn't say anything overly personal.

Gray listened with bated breath as Lucy went over her evidence, needing to pause a few times to gather her strength and thoughts as she told Gray about the fight with Null, though she didn't mention why they had fought. She told him about the broken arm, the clothing, and the fact that he hadn't replaced the wrap around his arm.

By the end Gray was nodding, his tone more reserved as he said, "You're probably right. Someone must have killed him right after you escaped. But, who?"

"Maybe Null," Lucy said, furrowing her brows. "But the only firearms they had were two shotguns." The bullet hole in Ivan's forehead was too small for that. "Or maybe Null had a gun they didn't know about."

Flare kept a knife from Ivan, so it was possible his group was keeping secrets from each other.

"I don't think it really matters who did it," Gray said, causing Lucy to nod.

"True." Lucy wanted to relax, but her thoughts turned sour when she realized Ivan's death didn't mean it was over. "I wonder if any of them are out there now."

"I dunno," Gray said, looking comfortable as he leaned against the wall. He had taken his shirt and socks off, though she doubted he realized it. "Probably not. There were a lot of bodies in that house."

'There were plenty of dead bodies there when I escaped.'

She didn't disclose that information, not wanting him to wonder why there was so many corpses. Lucy tipped her head back, staring at the ceiling as she debated the idea in her head. It was crazy. Physically it presented little risk but mentally...

Could she step into that house again?

Could she face it?

"Would..." Lucy bit her bottom lip, shaking her head. "I..." She looked at Gray, finding she had his complete attention. "Can you do me a favor?"

"What is it?"

Lucy moved her tongue around in her mouth, trying to find the right words. "I don't want to, but... I-I think I have to."

"What?"

Lucy took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I need to see who's in there."

"In...?"

"The house."

Gray's eyes widened in understanding, his brows pinched before he nodded. "Okay."

"You'll go with me?"

"Yeah." Gray shifted to the edge of the bed, reaching down to grab his socks. "There's no one there, so it's not like there's any danger."

"Yeah," Lucy whispered, lacking confidence. "I just want to see if they're all in there."

'And see who might be on the loose.'

"Wanna get the others?"

Lucy almost told him she wanted to keep it a secret, but sneaking off was a good way to aggravate Laxus. He was in a bad mood to begin with, but she figured that was from seeing Ivan's doings.

"We'll just tell them we're going. I don't think they'll want to come."

"Flame brain will."

Lucy rolled her eyes, grabbing the thin sheet off the bed. She could use it to shield herself from the rain a bit. They weren't going far. "He's busy with a fire."

"Please," Gray said, sliding his tank top over his head. "He's not gonna let you outta his sight out there."

"He did earlier."

Gray shook his head. "That was different."

"I don't see how."

"Just, trust me. He's gonna wanna come."

Lucy faked a sigh. It didn't help with the twisting in her stomach, but it seemed to put Gray at ease. "Whatever you say."

"You know I'm right."

Sure enough, he was.

It took no convincing for Natsu to jump up from his makeshift fire. With all the wood around them soaked, he wasn't making any progress. "Give me one minute," Natsu said, eyeing Lucy as he walked past her into the house.

It was a miracle she didn't draw blood from how hard she was biting her inner cheek. Instead of wearing one of the inappropriate shirts in the cabin, Natsu had opted out of wearing a shirt, clad in just a pair of boardshorts.

If it wasn't for the grim objective they took on, Lucy would've taken more time to appreciate how delicious Natsu looked shirtless. Construction had been good for his body. The rain had his tattoos and tan skin glistening over his hard muscles.

Lucy pinched herself before lewd thoughts could fill her head, reminding herself Natsu didn't see her as more than a friend. It wasn't wise to fantasize about him, even if he was literally dripping with good looks.

Thankfully for Lucy, Natsu put on his earlier shirt. The three set out for the lake house, Lucy holding the sheet over her head as they ran through the rain.

She almost cracked a smile when Gray purposely slammed his foot into a puddle, splashing muddy water on Natsu's ankle.

"Ice dick!"

"Pyromaniac!"

She wanted to enjoy the semblance of normalcy between them, but she had a mission. It was easier said than done, Lucy's breath lost when she stepped on the first step leading to the porch.

The front door seemed further away than she remembered, her body reacting as she took that next step.

'Turn back.'

Lucy clenched her teeth, refusing to let her fear control her. She pressed forward, even if she stumbled when she reached the porch.

Gray went in first, Natsu taking up the rear. He waited at the front door, eyes never leaving her as she worked up the courage to face her past.

All the pep talks in the world couldn't prepare her for what she saw, eyes watering from not only the stale stench of death, but the dark memories that flooded in.

She saw herself getting whipped in the living room, saw Ivan dragging her by her hair to her bedroom. She saw Kurohebi laughing as he forced himself on Flare, the girl unable to get him off her. Virgo's screams echoed in her head, followed by Null's sadistic laughter.

Lucy was reduced to tears before she knew it, but thankfully for her, she wasn't alone.

Not only did Natsu wrap an arm around her to keep her steady, Gray set a hand on her shoulder, telling her to take her time.

She nodded, blinking past her blurry vision as she took in all the carnage.

Her lower lip trembled before she bit it, cringing from the metallic taste when she broke skin. She couldn't stop, needing to feel that physical pain to distract herself from the sharp stinging in her heart.

"H-him," she said, nodding at a body on the ground, next to where the couch used to be. The skin-tight shirt hugged what was left of his torso. "K-K—" Lucy swallowed, her saliva too thick. "Kuroh-hebi. H-he was with them."

"Good," Gray said, giving her shoulder a squeeze while Natsu's hand rubbed against her waist.

She thought the touching would set her off, but it had the opposite effect. Her heart warmed, feeling grounded and secure. Lucy sucked in a shaky breath, looking at the next dead body, then the next.

The trip through the lake house took thirty minutes, Lucy stopping multiple times to get a grip with herself. The guys didn't rush her, offering encouraging words as she went through each room.

"Th-there's s-seven I don't know," she said, gesturing for them to head towards the front door. They led her outside, Lucy gasping for air when she stepped on the porch.

With her back turned to the house, Lucy found a moment of relief. It was difficult and would probably produce nightmares, but she had solved part of the mystery.

'Null is in there,' Lucy thought, more satisfied than she should be from seeing the rip in his shirt where she stabbed him. She didn't think he bled out, a few gunshots littering his shirt. Either that, or someone burned holes in there. It was hard to tell, especially when his body had rotted.

She shouldn't be happy that someone was dead, but her rapist and torturer would never harm another soul again. That was worth something.

"I... I saw everyone but, but one of them, but she could be, uh—" Lucy shook her head, finding it hard to concentrate. "She's probably one of them in the living room."

She saw Flare's hair cut in her bedroom. She wasn't sure what went down after she escaped, but maybe Ivan set his sights on Flare. She was the weakest among the group, a bit messed up in the head with a warped perspective on reality. Often Flare mistook Lucy as a friend despite the clear captivity she was in, asking her if she wanted to play with her.

Part of Lucy felt bad for Flare, especially since they bullied and took advantage of her, but Flare also didn't let Lucy go despite the multiple times she begged to be released.

The only time Flare obliged was when she gave Lucy a knife, but she did it because Lucy wanted to end her own life. Flare didn't want her to leave the house, probably thinking death was better than freedom.

'They were all messed up in the head.'

Some more than others, but it was over now. If she had to guess, Ivan punished Flare by cutting off her hair before killing her, adding her to the pile of bodies in the living room. Flare always loved her red hair, doing her best to take care of it even if she didn't do the same with the rest of her body.

"So, they're all in there?" Gray asked, needing confirmation.

Lucy nodded, feeling sure of herself. "Yes." She met Gray's eyes, seeing relief on his face. She turned to Natsu, expecting the same. However, his stare was distant. Instead of looking at her, his vision was pointed at the lake, though his eyes remained unfocused.

She wanted to ask if he was okay, but Gray's outburst startled her.

"Alright, well since that's outta the way, let's get back."

Lucy swallowed, shifting her body so Natsu would let her go. He seemed to snap back to reality, eyes falling to her back before looking at her.

"Ready to go?" he asked, not sounding invested in the question.

'He's probably shaken up over looking through that house again.' Even if Lucy hadn't lived the horrors inside, she would be rattled after witnessing what remained of her vacation house.

"Let's go," she said, leaning down to grab the damp sheet on the porch. With a few deep breaths, Lucy lifted her arms, nodding for Gray to start.

They ran back to the cabin, Lucy's chest feeling a little lighter with every step they took from that nightmare. She could close that chapter of her life, no longer wondering if they were out there, lingering in the shadows until they found a chance to strike.

'It's over,' she thought, finding the smallest smile despite her unsettled stomach. 'It's really, really over.'

.

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.

Thank you so much for your continued support! Shout out to those fantastic people who left me feedback last time: sakshishetty3003, samurai of sunflowers, FyreFalcon, lovelyleveret, Bookwork129, AJ, SistershoOk, coalaperson, Wadeparker, brandyj0611, ElementalMiko12, Copperreign12, shootingstarssel, valerioux, anneryoko, Duchixx(x2), Patpat, BloodySabbath44, guest, CrazyZaika, PanadeineForte, stranger1999, enchantressXofsouls, Dezez, CathJorda, HereForLaughsandAnime, Sonkun715, Guest, Sam, galactiaconstella, Flamedragonhime, and SwordBlaze221! Y'all are amazing!

Let me know what you thought of this chapter! Happy Lucy got confirmation? Disappointed there wasn't a showdown? Any questions answered? And new questions popping up? Anyone wondering what's on Natsu's mind? He hasn't been very vocal this chapter. Thoughts on Lucy and Gray's friendship? They're definitely better than they were in the beginning.

On a personal note I started volunteering for a local animal shelter and in my neighborhood I started a goal of fixing some of the stray cats to reduce their reproduction. My goal is 6 boys and 2 girls. I have one boy fixed now (currently recovering at my house), but hopefully I can get them fixed by the end of this year. I actually took in one to keep, and I plan on grabbing her sister next month. I've never had two cats at the same time, but hopefully it works out. Other than that not a lot is going on.

Oh! And I started watching Jujutsu Kaisen! I really like it, I just wish it slowed down. Sometimes I feel like I missed something because it just jumps right into things without warning, but it's very entertaining. Obviously Yuji is my favorite. Kinda hard not to like a pink-haired guy with a demon inside him, lol.

Next up, Chapter Seventy-Seven: He knows

Here's a sliver of a sneak peek for next chapter:

[Insert name here] swallowed, debating if he should tell Natsu he knew Lucy's real identity, but in the end he held his tongue. There was a reason Lucy kept that a secret, and he was going to have to trust it was a good one.

For clarity, it's someone who just found out Lucy's identity. Any guesses on who?

Let me know what you thought!