Okay, so you guys are absolutely amazing. Your reviews have seriously given me renewed energy, and I barely feel the lack of sleep today. Thank you guys. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

As always, thanks for all the love and happy reading!

As Lucy finished rolling up her tapestry, Aries pulled herself away from Lucy's hair to curl up against her heart.

It had been a full six months since the fighting had started. Six months since the gods that were participating in the fighting left. Six months since she'd last seen Natsu.

Lucy gently squeezed Aries and thanked her before releasing her so she could return to Lucy's hair. She could feel the warmth of her stars as they sought to comfort her after another long night. Once her work was put away, she retired to her bed to try and sleep.

Even though it was sadness, she was glad she was feeling something. She'd noticed that she was reverting more and more often to her previous state. She was so used to her dampened emotions that she hadn't noticed when it first started happening. She wasn't too worried about it, though. Once Natsu was back, things would go back to normal.

She wondered if Gajeel had noticed, and then shook away the thought. Of course he had. She'd noticed how much he'd been around lately. Even with Levy busy, he'd spent more time around her in the past while Levy worked, but lately he'd been at her house every day. He was no doubt trying to support her without worrying her, and she appreciated the effort. Especially days like today, when he wasn't there and she realized just how lonely she'd been in the past.

With a groan, she settled into her bed, annoyed that she still needed sleep as a goddess. She hadn't slept enough since Natsu left, leaving her grumpy more days than not. Some mornings she was fine, but most of the time, she could barely get an hour before she was up, restlessly wandering her home. Without Natsu or Levy to talk to, she'd been lonely with only the Zodiac and Gajeel for company.

She'd considered adding a new constellation to her Zodiac to create a new friend, but had eventually decided against it. It was enough having to care for the twelve she had already made; she shouldn't let a little bit of lonely time dictate her actions. She reached into the drawer at her side and pulled out a vial. She covered the top with her finger and tipped it upside down so that the tip of her finger got wet before returning it to the drawer. Then she laid down and pressed her finger to her forehead. Instantly, the concoction had her feeling drowsy, and she prayed that it would last longer this time than it had been.

When she woke up, she wasn't sure what time it was. The sun was still high in the sky, signalling it had only been a few hours, but she found herself feeling more refreshed than she had in months. Bolting upright, she tried to figure out what felt different before realizing that she could hear multiple gods nearby. They were laughing and cheering, mostly likely throwing a party in the great hall. If they were in good spirits, that would mean…

Lucy threw herself out of bed and raced for Levy's home, using her magic to change her clothes as she ran. If the other gods had returned, that would mean that Levy's home would be open to her again. She flew across the fields, her anticipation feeding her stars who followed at her side. When she reached Levy's door, she knocked relentlessly until it opened to reveal Gajeel. "Heard we won, did ya?" She threw her arms around Gajeel's neck for a quick hug before running passed him.

She was so blinded by her excitement that she missed the pained look that crossed Gajeel's face as he shut the door.

In a flurry of motion, Lucy appeared in Levy's war room, out of breath but in good spirits. "Where is he?" she asked without preamble. She had made sure that the people Zeref had colluded with were disposed of as soon as she'd discovered his treachery, and with Lucy's blessing, Natsu would have been able to shake off his illness in a matter of days.

Which meant he would have lived, and he would be coming home soon.

Levy looked up at her, clearly exhausted, and for a moment Lucy reigned herself in. She moved through their house quickly to find Levy something to drink before returning. "Here. Have some water."

"No 'anks." Levy held up a bottle Lucy had not seen before. "I got 'is."

"Levy, are you okay? Why are you drinking so much?"

Levy hiccuped and then took a long draw from her bottle. "I see it 'asn't kick in yet."

"Hasn't… what hasn't kicked in yet?"

Tears began to fall from Levy's eyes. " 'm sorry," she whispered. "I liked you wit' 'motions."

Lucy felt her stomach drop as she deciphered Levy's words. "What are you talking about? I still have my emotions."

"Mus' ta' a bit ta go 'way." Levy shrugged. "But they 'ill."

"Levy you're talking like-" Lucy covered her ears as her constellations suddenly all started talking at the same time. She couldn't decipher the words, or who was even talking, but the voices sounded similar. Could it be...?

She quickly shushed them before pulling Leo forward. He sat in her palm, opened his mouth, and a voice she hadn't heard in months began to speak.

"It's only been a week, but I hope my brother has been by to visit. After everything he's done, bringing you flowers is the least he could do."

Lucy covered her mouth with her hand as she willed Leo into silence. He complied but remained in her palm as he wrapped his tail tightly around her wrist. She could feel his fierce courage seeping into her, making it a little easier to fight her tears. "Where is he?" she asked.

"Th' field," Levy answered. "Dey piled u' th' bodies an' fwoosh, ma' a fire." She slapped the table and the map adjusted to reveal a large scorched mark in the field.

Lucy's nails bit into her hands as her body heated from the force of her anger. "How?"

"He sacrificed himself." Gajeel entered the room, his face a mask of indifference. "He went out during the full moon two months ago and almost silently killed half their army in their sleep. We watched the whole thing. Your protections helped him make it through enemy territory and into their camp, where he went tent to tent, meticulously slaying their soldiers. He was only caught because he was still going in the morning when the captains came looking for everyone.

"They found him and killed him, but he took out nearly another dozen before they finally got him." He put a hand on Lucy's shoulder. "We won because of him, there's no doubt about it. Until that night, our side was completely outnumbered."

Lucy shook him off, not caring about who won. She did the math, and figured out when exactly he'd gone out. "Why," she whispered. "I had just stopped the ones trying to kill him. Why did he have to choose that night to go die?"

Leo gently bumped his nose against her hand and opened his mouth again.

"I'm sorry goddess." Natsu's voice was quiet and he sounded awful. "I can hear them looking for me, so I don't have a lot of time left. I wish it was still night so I could look up at the stars one more time, but I guess my memory of them will have to do." He sighed. "I think my brother is trying to have me killed. It's the only thing that makes sense. If it wasn't for your blessing, I think I'd be gone by now."

Gajeel quietly picked up his passed out wife and left Lucy alone, though she barely noticed the disturbance.

"I can't just keep going out into the field and fighting every day like this. I'm getting slower and making more and more mistakes. I feel awful, and yesterday was even worse, since I avoided eating.

"If only I could have had a meal with you once. Zeref always said that bringing human food to a goddess like you was an insult, but I think there's a lot of things he lied to me about."

He sighed. "I'm sorry I'm not coming back, I really am. This was just the only way I could help. If I hadn't done this, then I think the rest of our side would have been beaten easily.

"I hope that by sacrificing myself this way, I can at least give us a chance. Because if not, then they'll come into our country and destroy it. They'll destroy homes and fields, and… they'll destroy the altars." Lucy kneeled down as she heard him gasp, as though trying not to cry.

"So long as I can protect that, protect your altar… protect the place that we spent so much time together… then I will consider it worth the sacrifice." He took a deep breath, and then he began to pray.

"May your eyes sparkle as bright as the stars

That you hung high in the sky."

A sob escaped Lucy as she curled in on herself. Her stars manifested and circled her, protecting her as she mourned.

"May my dreams be as vast as the heavens

That I gleen only from your vision."

Lucy's nails dug into the floor beneath her, making the wood protest as she tried to draw in enough air.

"May my words find you amongst the beauty

That is your creations."

She could hear the resignation in his voice. Could hear the pain and the acceptance. Could hear the regret.

Thank you, my godde-"

Leo tried to cut it short, no doubt to protect her, but wouldn't let him. She could only hear his side of the fight, but it wasn't any better not hearing the ones he fought. His breathing was erratic, coming out in gasps and grunts. This went on for nearly a minute before he hissed and coughed. Lucy felt the sword in his chest, felt the pain of his last breath leaving his body. As she squeezed her eyes shut, she felt the weight of his loss in every fiber of her being.

Her stars moved to comfort her, but she jumped to her feet and fled to her home. The Zodiac followed in her wake, unsure how to act. When she entered her home, she began to tear it apart. She rummaged through boxes, through baskets, flipping books off the shelf, anything she might have hidden it in, before finally finding the book she was looking for.

As the descendant of the Maker of Deals, Lucy was uniquely qualified to wield her father's tome. With it, he had been able to act outside of the confines of their sacred grounds. He'd been able to freely roam the human world in search of those ready to make a deal with a god. With the familiar feeling of those leather bound pages in her hands, she went to the human world- just not to her altar.

She arrived on the battlefield in a flash of stars and surrounded by a whirlwind of black. A few enemy soldiers were still about, cleaning up their dead. When she arrived, they tried to back away, only to be vaporized on the spot. Lucy's dress lengthened and spun, showcasing her stars and the power she wielded as she crossed the desolate landscape and arrived at the charred pile of bodies.

She lifted a hand and the pile exploded into a shower of burnt bones and black soot. Near the bottom of the pile, she knelt next to what she sought, ignoring the slowly falling black powder around her. She quietly counted, collecting every single bone and placing it in the silky black bag in her hand. When she was done, she tied the cord to keep it closed before wrapping the amulet she'd given Natsu around it as well. Once it was secure, she spent some time just sitting there, mourning his loss while holding the amulet in her palm. When she released it, she was surprised to find it scratched her as it fell out of her hand to hang from the bag.

She twisted it around to look at the back and found a flower had been etched onto it. The exact same black flower that he had once brought her so many of. Using her power, she reached out and collected every single flake, every last dust mote, that had once been his body and pressed it against the amulet. When she removed her hand, she revealed a flower as black as the ones he'd brought her; her way to honor the human who had once meant so much to her.

When she finished, she stood and released her anger in a raging inferno. She set the battlefield ablaze, along with the nearby field where the enemy had made camp. Any enemy soldier, remnant of a soldier, and every bit of foliage was burned to ash in a moment, and when she was done, she recalled the flames and left.

Once she was home, she closed off her home and let the Zodiac free. For two weeks, she refused to leave. She spent her time listening to Natsu's voice through her stars and his amulet. She listened to the prayers and conversations he'd had with them as he'd tried to reach out to her. While the human world worried about her retaliation, she hid among her memories, embracing every emotion that coursed through her body as she felt them dwindle little by little.

When she finally opened her home again, she still refused to fill the night sky. Her stars grew restless, unused to being holed up on the tapestry or with her for so long. Their presence did not comfort her, so they sought to keep others company, mostly by following Levy around during the day, and watching over Lucy from afar at night.

After nearly a month had passed since the end of the war, Levy finally visited Lucy. She didn't bother to knock, merely entered when she arrived at the front door. "Lucy? I'm coming in."

Following the sounds of someone moving around, Levy eventually found Lucy cleaning up her living room. "Hello Levy," the blonde said without looking up. The shorter woman watched silently as Lucy wrapped up her father's book before putting it in a box and placing it on a high shelf. "What can I do for you?" Lucy asked, continuing to clean.

"Have you lost them again?"

"Lost what?" Lucy asked. "My emotions? I believe so. I must apologize for the way I've been behaving." She waved her hand and a broom appeared that she immediately used to begin clearing up the broken pottery at her feet. "I know I was rather distraught, but that's no excuse not to do my job."

"It's okay," Levy said. "It didn't affect me."

"That's good then."

The silence that followed made Levy uncomfortable, so she broached her reason for coming. "I wanted to ask you something, if I may?"

"Of course." Lucy set aside her broom and moved to sit on her couch. "Please, join me." She waved her hand and a tea set appeared, complete with cups and steam rising from the teapot. "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, thank you." Once they both had a cup in front of them, Levy found herself unsure if she should proceed.

"So what did you want to ask?" Lucy watched her friend dispassionately. The nearly complete lack of emotion gave Levy the boost she needed to continue on her path.

"Do you still miss him?"

"The human? I suppose so. He was once important to me, so I guess that a part of me probably does. But he was a human and they all die." Lucy shrugged. "There's no point in getting too worked up, right?"

Levy's hands fisted in her dress and she felt herself getting angry. "Lucy, he was your first follower. There's no shame in wanting to remember him."

"I don't have any emotion that makes remembering worth it, Levy." Lucy gave her a smile. "Honestly, this might be better. If I were to get this upset over one follower, could you imagine if I had more? The night sky would never shine!"

Levy watched her friend and remembered how less than a year ago, she'd positively glowed when Levy visited. How happy she'd been about everything, about how warm her smile had been. How her hair and voice had vibrated with her happiness and excitement.

This shell of Lucy wasn't the same. This watered down version without any followers wasn't the side of Lucy that should exist while the other was given such a brief window to shine.

"Lucy, can you do me a favor?"

She nodded. "Of course."

"Say his name."

Lucy's smile faltered. "Who's name?"

"You know who. Your follower."

Lucy's smile slowly disappeared. "I don't understand why you want me to-"

"Just do it," Levy insisted.

The blonde rose to her feet and returned to cleaning. "There is no point in revisiting this, Levy." She began to stack some boxes on the floor. "I am no longer as emotional as I was, so-"

"Natsu."

Lucy's hands continued to work, but Levy saw the way they stuttered. "Levy-"

"Natsu Dragneel."

With jerky movements, Lucy fell silent but continued to work.

Levy got to her feet, slowly following her friend as she continued to speak. "His name was Natsu Dragneel. He was a little boy, eight years old, when he first visited you."

"Stop it."

"Natsu visited you every week for multiple years."

"Stop it."

"Natsu brought you flowers that you kept in-"

"STOP IT!" A blast of power exploded out from Lucy, pushing Levy back a few steps and tossing the debris around again.

Levy caught herself before she fell over, and was happy to see she'd elicited an emotional response from her friend. "Say it, Lucy."

"I ca-" Lucy's voice broke. "I can't." Tears gathered in her eyes, but she wiped them away quickly before returning to her work. "Saying his name won't bring him back."

Feeling that the time was right, Levy pulled something out of her pocket and held it out. "I have something for you." Lucy turned to find Levy holding a book. "I've been hanging onto this since before you were born. Your mother asked me to hide it for her."

Everything in Lucy's hands slipped from her limp fingers to crash against the floor. The book wasn't anything special. It was thick with a black cover that was pristine and unmarked. There was nothing to indicate what it may hold, but Lucy could tell from across the room that it was her mother's. She could feel her mother's magic coming off of it. Not only that, she could feel something even more powerful; something ancient.

"She asked me to hang on to it so I could give it to her daughter, when the time was right. I asked her when that was, and she said I'd know." Levy shrugged. "Right now feels right."

Lucy walked across her destroyed home, not caring that she was stepping on broken glass and pottery, or smearing blood against her floors and the remains of destroyed books. As soon as she took the book in her hands she knew what that power was. "Thank you Levy."

Levy nodded. "It's no problem." She took a cautious step back. "I'm going to leave you alone, alright? Let me know if you need anything."

"I will, thank you." Leave, please. Lucy smiled as she saw her friend out, but once Levy was gone, she immediately locked down her home once more. With shaky hands, she took the book into her room and opened to the first page.

As she suspected, there was no title to the book, just a signature.

Anna Heartfilia.

Lucy's hands tightened around the book as she turned the page.