Lucy's POV
"Natsu?" I asked. Normally I would have instinctively thrown a person who tried to hug me at the nearest hard surface (there's a chip in dad's mask because of it) but for some reason I didn't. I was snapped back into reality when I felt something wet on my shoulder. "I'm sorry Lucy...this is my fault." He whispered. Before I could ask what, I felt his hand on my abdomen. I've only ever seen him cry a few times, but it was always sincere. Like when he watched Igneel disappear, thinking his father had died. "But you didn't do it. It was because-..." He cut me off. "I know how it happened! Soul told us when you were unconscious earlier. But it was my fault that you were there, and I let them take you away!" Natsu cried. I wasn't expecting this. "I was the one who ignored you, I was the one who called you weak, and I pushed you past the breaking point! And even then, you still cared. Even if it was just a little bit."

He pulled back and looked at me with tear-filled eyes. "Your brother told us what happens when you anger a Grim Reaper. The way he put it, we should all be dead. I screwed up, and I know that you probably hate me-!" It was my turn to pull him into a hug. "Dammit Natsu quit blaming yourself already!" My tears fell mercilessly. "I don't blame you, and I don't blame anyone else in the guild. If anything, I blame myself." He looked at me with a shocked face. "Why would you blame yourself?" I looked away from him. "I didn't do anything to stop it. I never did anything but silently cry in the corner, and eventually the little demon came. And I just let her take over." I said.

"Hey Lucy, is it normal to see little orbs?" Natsu asked. "What do you mean?" I asked as I looked back at him. "It's hard to explain. A long time ago, when I was still training with Igneel, I sometimes would see a little orb in his body, reflecting his personality. But after awhile I stopped seeing it altogether, so I just assumed I was imagining it...but now it's back." Natsu explained, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Personality reflecting orb? Wait... "Natsu, I'm going to do something a little weird, so you gotta promise to not freak out, okay?" I asked. Natsu nodded.

Natsu's POV
Lucy stood suddenly, pulling me up with her. A warming golden light surrounded her. Her hair turned white, with light pink highlights here and there. Her eyes changed to a shade of silver, and her black dress was replaced with a sleeveless white one that reached her mid-thigh. A Gold sash was tightly wrapped around her waist, the ends dangling down to her knees. White feathered wings appeared on her back, giving her the appearance of an angel. She wore simple white flats, and gold star shaped pins littered her hair. As the light faded away I noticed that Igneel was still asleep.

"I think I know whats going on." Lucy said. Before I could ask what she meant, she picked me up from behind. "Where are we going?" I asked, but she stayed quiet. After awhile a small island came into view. Lucy dropped me in the center, then landed next to me. "Now, if I'm right, you'll see what I do next. But if you don't..." Lucy trailed off. "I'm sure you'll be fine!" She took a battle stance a few feet away from me, holding out her right hand. Her wings disappeared, and her hair faded into black, leaving three white lines as before. Her eyes changed to the blood red color that I've come to enjoy seeing, as weird as it may seem.

A grin appeared on Lucy's face, showing off her sharp canines. Her hands emitted a soft blue glow, and something told me to avoid them. Lucy lunged forward, hands aimed at my chest. I barely dodged Lucy's attacks, with her expertly dodging my own. "Don't attack with fire! Attack with your soul." She said between blows. Lucy dropped down and hit me in the stomach, throwing me into a nearby tree. "Got ya." She grinned. Little blue strings appeared, sewing me to the tree. The little blue orb in Lucy's body jumped around, as if excited for winning. The smaller gold and silver orbs emitted a soft glow, as if they were praising her. The gold ones had signs of the zodiacs on them, with slightly different features from each other. The one with Aquarius's symbol was faded, but it still moved about with the others. I frowned. Lucy bounced as she made her way closer to me, and the silver chain around her neck moving with her, revealing the part that was hidden behind her dress.

And then it clicked. I knew exactly what the little orbs were. And as Lucy came closer, I noticed that hers was cracked, barely holding itself together. Lucy stopped in front of me, tilting her head slightly with a small smile. "Do you know why you're stuck to the tree?" She asked. "When you hit me with that blue glow and sent me flying into the tree, you used it to sew me here." I said. "Exactly. But do you know what it is?" She asked. "It's a part of your soul." I answered. "Congratulations, Natsu! While you can't control it yet, you have the ability to see souls. The little orb you saw in Igneel was his soul. And the blue glow is a part of my soul wavelength. However I must warn you, from here on out, you will never see the world the same way again. Not that its a bad thing...but you're more than likely to be a little freaked out at first." She said, waving her hand. I dropped on the ground, landing with a groan.

Lucy helped me up, turning to walk away. "Hey Lucy, why is your soul cracked? And why is Aquarius's key broken?" I asked. She froze, slowly turning to face me. Here eyes were wide, showing nothing but fear and shock. "I'm sure you're just imagining it. After all you started using Soul Perception." Lucy said, forcing a laugh. "No, I can see it clear as day. And Aquarius's soul is nearly gone! Lucy, I saw the key. What happened?" Lucy pulled the chain off her neck, taking my hand and placing the broken key in it. With my other hand I carefully ran my fingers over the symbol of the angry mermaid spirit that Lucy held dear. "Do you remember what you said to me, that one day two years ago?" Lucy gave a weak smile. "You said, 'I'm not sure what happened, but you saved our asses!'. After Mard Geer cast the Alegria spell, I was the only one left and he was furious. He sent demon after demon, and I held them off for as long as I could, even managing to summon three spirits at once! But Loke and Virgo where forced back, and Aquarius couldn't hold them off for much longer. So she told me to summon the Celestial Spirit King, at the price of breaking her key. Of course I refused at first, but Aquarius was right. It was the only way to stop Mard Geer. So..." Lucy choked back a sob. "So you broke her key, in order to save all of us." I finished. Lucy nodded.

"But she's still alive and well. I just can't summon her anymore." Lucy said with a smile. But her soul said otherwise. "You're a terrible lair, you know that right?" I said. Lucy punched me in the shoulder weakly. "You're cheating! Most people can't see souls, remember?" She pointed out. "I know that! I'm not that stupid." I exclaimed. Lucy shrugged. "You fooled me." Lucy had a mischievous glint in her eyes as she ran away from me. "Hey!" I exclaimed, chasing after her. Lucy tripped over a rock, causing me to trip over her. We rolled a few feet, clinging to each other until we stopped. Lucy pushed herself up into sitting position, using my chest as support. Not that I cared. She was giggling, and her hair was matted with leaves. One of the straps on her dress was hanging loosely on her shoulder, so I reached up to fix it. Lucy stopped laughing, and was staring down at me.

"Hey Natsu?" She mumbled. "Yeah?" I asked. "Wanna be friends again?" Lucy was smiling brightly. "Yeah!" I cheered as Lucy rolled off me and stood up, pulling me with her. A few of the cracks in her soul seemed to repair themselves. "Ready for round two?" Lucy asked. "I'm all fired up!" I said as Lucy's hands began to glow.