Chapter 70:

There are two points of view when one looks at Death. One comes from the dead and the other from the living. To the living, Death is cruel, ugly, cold and painful because they have to stay behind. The people who survive have to live with these unbearable feelings. Waking up every day knowing that they won't see him or her ever again. Pain and sorrow will be the first thing that greets them in the morning and only grows stronger throughout the day, until one day it might begin to fade away. Not completely, never completely, but at least to a point where it's bearable to live with. Or at least for most people there is...

The pain of a permanent change will stay until the day the living die.

For the deceased, it's different. They view Death differently. Almost like a friend, the liberator who freed them from the pain and suffering that comes with being alive. No strings attached to anything, and no suffering when those strings break.

That's how most dead and alive creatures saw Death. Either as a black hole filled with despair and pain or as a smiling and kind friend.

Natsu was thankful to be free of the physical pain when Death pulled his soul out of the body. He wasn't even aware he was dying while it was happening.

Floating

That's how it felt. Dying was very much like floating, Natsu decided.

Or was he already dead?

Probably

He was now nothing more than an odd flicker of light to the living and he won't be even that for long.

He could already feel the gentle pull of the afterlife.

But he couldn't go yet. To others, he might be a flicker of light but he could very well see his 'body' or more accurately his soul that took the form of his body.

His human body.

"Huh.. I always thought my soul would be in the form of a dragon" Natsu wondered. Another pull on his soul made him sigh as he floated through the Void tunnel. He had no idea how exactly he got there considering he didn't enter it but he couldn't be bothered by it just yet.

"Give me a bit more time" he pleaded with whatever was pulling him. Useless probably.

"I need to make sure of something"

Natsu stopped in front of the door that led out of the Void. The door that had magnolia tree carved in.

He still remembered what he saw so many years ago, in the Tower of Heaven.

His hand moved to the knob, shaped like a branch of the tree but before he could touch it the door opened and the soul stepped out into the glaring sun of Magnolia's afternoon.

And then he stopped. Rooted to the spot in his overwhelming shock.

Magnolia's streets were full. The town was always busy at this hour but this was not usual. All those people were wearing black, he soon realized, and a red rose was held in every pair of hands.

A funeral, Natsu quickly realized. A whole procession in fact. His eyes searched the faces, some he recognized as a member of one guild or the other he saw in passing, some looked a lot like Crocus guards and it took him a moment to spot Arcadius' grim face as the tall man walked on. There were people he never saw before as well and as the procession moved on he wandered whose funeral it was.

Natsu swallowed thickly. Did someone else die? Surely this wasn't for him. But who could it be?

There was only one way to find out, he realized, and the soul moved up, ready to move to the front of the procession. He stopped in his attempt as shadows flew above his head and he jerked his neck up, his eyes widening at the sight of dragons decorating the sky. People looked surprisingly calm considering dragons were flying above them.

'They were aware of them before' Natsu concluded. He didn't notice them before, as high as they were flying and since people were so calm they must have known they were there.

That, however, dragged another question. ''Why are dragons here?''

He looked at them, trying to recognize their shapes from the distance and the sun glaring down at him did not help. A hand over his narrowed eyes, Natsu spent several moments staring at the strange sight.

Himmel was there and so was Kindra. Adalstienn flew higher but his bulky shape was somewhat easy to recognize. Demir was also there and a few more he wasn't so sure. Further in front of the small group in the sky was Igneel and... was that Acnologia?

Why was his father at a funeral of some mortal?

Or was it not the funeral of a mortal?

Natsu's eyes turned down, gazing at the moving crowd. Was this his funeral?

Why were there so many people? The last time he witnessed his funeral – even though it was just a trick his mind played – there were only four people on it.

There was at least four hundred now. He didn't even know all of them. It made no sense and Natsu rubbed his forehead trying to make sense of it. Seeing no reason to keep standing in one spot with no answers the dead dragon moved towards the front of the crowd. The closer he moved the more familiar the faces became. When he reached the front he realized it was his guild that surrounded the four people carrying the coffin.

Mira and Ultear walked with Annie right behind it along with Wendy and Natsu's very soul hurt at the sight of them.

The uneasy feeling that was wrapped around him like a cloak finally settled. He was dead. This was his funeral. His family was hurt because of him. He was dead. He thought he was already fine with it but he only now truly acknowledged it. This is something he couldn't fix.

''It hurts, doesn't it?''

Natsu jumped, looking to his right. Beside him stood Mavis, much to his shock.

''You can see me?''

What if she wasn't talking to him?

''No'' Mavis replied with a sad smile. ''Not completely. I can see the way light dances through your soul. I can only see... your shadow – if it can be called that. But I can hear you''

''I'm dead'' Natsu felt stupid for pointing that out.

''I know'' Mavis dipped her blond head.

Natsu stared at the glass coffin with one red rose inside. The only thing that his previous vision and the real version shared. Gray and Arthur carried the front of the coffin, Laxus, and Gajeel standing behind.

''They will miss you. They already miss you'' Mavis said softly, her eyes looking towards him.

''I will miss them as well'' Natsu admitted after a moment, once again feeling the pull on his soul. The procession reached Magnolia's graveyard and Natsu and Mavis settled on the roof of the mausoleum in the middle of it, watching the glass coffin without a body as the four men slowly lowered it into the ground.

''Do you know where is my body?'' Natsu before he could stop himself. He shouldn't bother Mavis with such questions but he was wondering.

''No.. Not really'' Mavis admitted. ''After... After Crocus.. Acnologia and other dragons took it... Do you know you saved Crocus?''

The question surprised him, shocked him even.

''Me? How did I save Crocus? I died while dragons were still there, I only killed Rogue and that could've been done by anyone''

Mavis giggled but quickly stopped, a frown tugging her lips down, the morbid atmosphere quickly drowning any sort of amusement. ''Silly you'' she spoke quietly. ''You don't even know what you've done, don't you? When you killed Rogue, the roar that obliterated him destroyed the Eclipse Gate behind. When the Gates were destroyed the dragons returned to their time''

Natsu blinked. ''I did that?''

''You did''

''Is that why so many people are here? Because I... saved... them'' Natsu spoke, stumbling over the word for a moment. He was no savior. He was a destroyer, killer.

Kira – it was a moniker he hadn't heard in a long time but people still recognized him for it.

''Not just because of that'' Mavis objected. ''Some, yes. But most are here because they recognize you as someone who was a powerful wizard, an awesome dad, a caring brother, a great son, an amazing friend''

Natsu shook his head. He wasn't any of that except for maybe powerful but there were those more powerful them him. Makarov started talking, his words similar to Mavis' but he didn't listen. Not really.

His eyes were locked on the small group of people he recognized through his life and in his death as his family. Mira was crying, her head buried into Elfman's chest as he softly patted her head, her beautiful cerulean eyes red and puffy. How long has she been crying because of him?

Ultear stood in front of the hole where his coffin lied staring at it with hollow expression, her pale face frozen in a mask devoided of any emotion but her eyes betrayed her, her tears more silent than Mira's but they still shined on her face. Annie was wrapped in Ultear's arms as the girl cried, clutching her mother's arms like they were her lifeline. Arthur stood to Ultear's left, his head bowed, shadow hiding his face from Natsu's view.

Another pull on his soul made him hiss. They were becoming stronger.

''Are you alright?'' Mavis asked worriedly, looking at the flickering light that was Natsu.

''Afterlife is pulling me''

''Ah...''

Natsu looked at her, contemplating whatever he should ask how she managed to stay in the mortal plane but decided against it. He shouldn't privy into her life.. or death.

''How long do you have?'' Mavis asked after a moment.

''I believe I already passed that limit. It's only my willpower that keeps me here and even that won't last for long''

The silence that followed on the roof of the small mausoleum was suffocating even to his soul and it gave him unwanted time to think through the events taking place.

The rational part of him didn't see a reason to be sad. Why would you be sad over your own death? Death was freedom. You don't have to worry about anything trivial. Life was for worrying.

And even as those thoughts went through his mind he could feel his eyes stinging.

He knew he would have plenty to worry once he entered Afterlife. He wouldn't go to Heaven or Soul Society or whatever it was called. He already had his little place in Hell. In Ausul.

He had it from the moment Acnologia put demon's heart in him.

But his eyes didn't sting because of that, his shoulders didn't shake because of what he would endure. He didn't know spirits can cry but apparently, they could. Natsu stopped the tear from spilling, he didn't cry when he was alive and he wouldn't in his death. The dragon prince looked up at the sun, trying to burn the tears away. He would never see any of them again. Never again.

Never was such a long time.

''Natsu?'' Mavis spoke quietly after what felt like an eternity. She reached out, towards the flicker of light but to her dismay, her fingers only passed through it.

Natsu buried his head in his hands before running them over his forehead. He knew for a long time what would happen to him after he died but for the first time since he learned of his faith it bothered him.

He watched as Mira and Ultear threw the first two roses and another thought struck him. He never said goodbye.

His eyes hardened and the soul stood up, eyes briefly looking at Mavis. ''Thank you''

Mavis smiled in response, watching with sad eyes as the flicker jumped from the roof of the mausoleum and crossed toward two women, not even bothering to avoid people, simply walking through them.

Natsu stopped between Ultear and Mira before looking at the rose in Annie's hands. The young teenager stared at it, not willing to let go like it would make his death all the more real. He smiled softly as his fingers warped around the rose, half-expecting they would just pass through but he smiled in triumph when the rose twitched and Annie's eyes widened slightly.

''Annie'' Natsu spoke softly, still holding the rose. ''Let go''

He wasn't really sure what he was referring to. It wasn't just the rose, at least he knew that much.

Annie sniffed and nodded, her eyes never leaving his and he wondered if she could actually see him and hear him. She pulled out of Ultear's hands and stepped forward, through her father and threw the rose.

As another pull jolted his soul Natsu jumped to his feet and rushed to Ultear not truly thinking but he wanted to hug her. He wanted to hug this amazing woman. Just one last time. She and Mira meant the world to him.

It almost made him scream when he passed through her, unable to touch her.

''Just one last time'' Natsu whispered to himself, turning to Mirajane. ''Please''

He reached out, his finger's only an inch from her shoulder when his soul has pulled once again but this time he knew it was final.

His time was up.

Mavis watched from her spot in sorrow as the flicker disappeared leaving no trace of it behind.

The place he found himself in next time he was aware of himself was pitch black, a starking contrast to the blinding light of Magnolia's sun. Natsu moved his hands over the rocky ground he was lying on, trying to make some semblance of where he was. It didn't help much which annoyed the dragon further. With no better thing to do, he pushed himself into a sitting position, blinking rapidly to adjust his eyes to the dark.

He was surprised to find himself in what looked like a forest once he could actually see it. The ground was barren and the impossibly huge trees burned but it still looked like a forest.

''I wondered how long will you be able to resist'' a familiar voice spoke and Natsu's head snapped to the side. Lilith stared back at him, her red eyes glowing playfully in the dark.

''Where are we?'' the dragon blinked at the sound of his own voice.

''In Hell, obviously'' Lilith laughed. ''Only first floor though. You need to get down'' Her grin turned feral, snake tongue sneaking out of her lips for a second. ''And I'm here to lead you there''

End of chapter 70.

And this chapter marks the beginning of the added arc, I'm still not sure what to call it but Resurrection Arc has a nice ring to it. This arc will introduce some new characters, some new foes, and some new friends. It was done from a scratch and thought up in my head so I hope you all will enjoy it before we move to the semi-familiar arcs.

Special thanks to Lilly Mei who helped me a lot!

Please review and thanks for reading :)