21| NEWBORN

The morning had been going fairly well for Shuu, being awoken by Lucy writing away to her mother. He never understood why she would do such a thing when they first met, on the rare times he did catch her writing to Layla. He went so far to call it stupid, but now he understood. He understood it made Lucy feel closer to her mother, to allow her some comfort that she was still there in spirit.

He laid there listening to Lucy, how she hummed softly as she wrote in constant thought- putting whatever words were in her head down onto the paper. It was one of his favorite things to wake up too the past few weeks she started up again and since it was just them living together, with Yuma in the other room.

He didn't know what he ever expected in his life besides his father expecting him to take up the mantle of his reign, yet now Shuu knew there was much more than that he wanted. He did fall in love with the blonde who laid next to him every night, humming away songs he showed her through his old iPod from his world. He loved how she would laugh at small things, the crinkle by her eyes when she smiled, how she pouted when things didn't go her way and how fiercely independent she could be.

Never before had Shuu wanted to have a family of his own, to father children with a woman he fell in love with. That being because he never thought her could fall in love, but he did. Lucy moved his world, expended it beyond his own comprehension. He would do right by her, Shuu promised this to himself, and he would become a better man who understood and was more opened minded to fit into the world she came from.

"You know, over thinking will give you a head ache." Lucy teased, grinning at him as she brushed her blonde hair that was getting longer as the days went by. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"You're beautiful." Was the first thing that came from his mouth without a second though, eliciting a soft giggle from Lucy who flashed that smile he loved in response.

"So nothing new then?" Lucy winked, tying her blonde locks in a half up and half down style.

Shuu merely rolled his eyes and threw a pillow at his girlfriend, "Don't be so vain woman."

Lucy stuck her tongue out, "Deal with it."

Shuu raised an eyebrow, smirking at the blonde. "Yeah? That's how you want to play then, Angel?"

"I don't know what you mean." She shrugged, turning away from him. Shuu chuckled and leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Lucy's waist and pulled her back into bed quickly- causing her the yelp.

"OI I SWEAR!" Yuma yelled, which Lucy couldn't help but laugh loudly at as she forgot Shuu's innocent retaliation.

The morning went by relatively fast, with Lucy and Yuma doing their daily routine of making breakfast in the kitchen. The two together were good cooks, giving Reiji a run for his money. It was amusing to see Yuma in a pink apron with how tall he was. Yet the two made a new tradition of a family dinner each Thursday night, with only the Sakamaki's and Mukami's- and Yui.

The only downside was the blood bags, but somehow Shuu and his brothers had come to an agreement that blood bags were better than nothing in this world were life for them was more easy going and better than their world. There was no denying that here they at least had some sense of freedom they no longer had back home with their father.

Karlheinz was more than controlling, wanting things to go his way or no way. What he would gain from Shuu and Lucy marrying was no doubt something he wanted selfishly, and Reiji was sure it was like what happened to Kino. He knew that their father only wanted Lucy to give birth to a child of a new breed, and they could never have a child if until his father was dealt with. That was a worry for when that bridge came to cross.

Around noon was when they finally made it to the guild, Yuma being quick to split saying that living together was enough for now with the two of them being too PDA. Wasn't Shuu's fault that Yuma couldn't mind his business and hearing. Lucy was quick to kiss his cheek and went to chat with members from Team Natsu.

Meanwhile Yui was being teased by Kou and Mirajane about Ayato no doubt. It was a sense of normality that Shuu felt at peace with. This was his new home, where Lucy's laughter echoed around the room. Where Ayato and Natsu argued, and Gray and Kou played games of darts with Laito shamelessly flirting with Cana.

Where Yui really became her own person, coming out of her shell and interacting more with people. There was a new aura around Yui, and Shuu could tell she was finally growing a back bone- probably with how rough this guild was at times. Reiji and Ruki somehow found a passion in their work at the clinic, which wasn't too surprising to Shuu. The two of them were intelligent and should use it for good, jeez Lucy had really gotten to him.

Kanato and Azusa were still sticking to themselves, and it was fine. Every now and then they were included, but mostly they tended to stay away from anyone that wasn't their family and if they did approach other then Lucy and Yui were more than likely around. Then Subaru, he was secretly protective of the children in the guild. Why, Shuu didn't understand but Subaru always seemed to have a soft spot for children and maybe it was because children were simply innocent.

At the moment he was sitting with Levy, humoring her to a game of chess- loser buys the winner dinner. At least that was the best wager Levy could come up with and Shuu had decided to humor her. He would admit that Levy wasn't as annoying as some, and together with Lucy they were a little too smart. He was sure back in his world the two females could be detective and crack cold cases with the little details they catch that no one else does.

Yet the peace that settled around the guild was shattered, literally as wolves came barreling in from every direction they could.

Shuu's blue eyes darted around the guild, looking for Lucy as his first priority- but she was already taking her own stance to fight with the guild. He knew he wouldn't be able to get his stubborn girlfriend to leave the guild without her friends, and this was his new home now as well. He'd be damned if he let some First Bloods take it away too without actually trying to defend people he come to care for at least once.

Seeing Lucy glance his way and nod to let him know she was good, Shuu could only refocus on the familiars around him. The guild had jumped into action, with each and every mage on their feet taking their own fighting stances. A low growl left Shuu's lips as his eyes and ears were on alert for either of the first bloods, yet he couldn't push this sudden nagging feeling to stay close to Lucy.

The first time he ever had an instinct to protect someone so fiercely was in that moment. Even back when Yui was in danger, he was never the one to want to protect her. That had always been Ayato, but right now he needed to be near Lucy. Low snarls of warning left Shuu's lips as he grabbed the familiars leaping at him and throwing them across the room.

Distantly Shuu noticed Natsu fighting with Lisanna, how his flames were lit and punching away at anything going near the bar.

Near Lucy.

Shuu would be lying if he said Natsu's friendship didn't bother him at all, which was why he said nothing. He didn't care for how Natsu was so clueless to crawl into bed with Lucy, but part of Shuu knew that Natsu wasn't as dense as he played himself to be. Lucy was his first priority, Shuu knew that the moment his eyes fell on Lucy back in Stella the first time after a year and a half of leaving her.

Natsu had been so quick to jump to Lucy's defense, so quick to declare vengeance on her behalf. Yet Shuu knew Natsu was oblivious to his feelings for Lucy, which was why he acted the way he did. Natsu had the weird hero complex of defending Lucy and her honor, as if she couldn't handle her own. The way Natsu depended on Lucy needing him had caused Lucy to be so weak minded when she first met Shuu and his brother to let herself feel bitter, at least that was the conclusion he drew himself.

That was dynamic of Lucy and Natsu though. Natsu wanted someone to protect, to be their for and that happened to always be Lucy. Until he left her behind and now he hovered, waiting for the chance of Lucy needing something because things changed. Shuu could see how much Natsu hated change, hated Shuu himself particularly more than his brothers.

And Shuu couldn't give less than a single fuck, but appreciated the extra protection Natsu offered Lucy in moments like these. If there was one person Shuu could depend to have Lucy's back no matter what, it was Natsu. That was the only usefulness Natsu provided.

Shuu wasn't sure how much time had passed by since the wolves came in. How many minutes, second were questionable. They were overpowering the familiars for now, but Shuu knew how vicious these familiars were. He could feel the power radiate off them, knowing it was only a matter of time before the Fairy Tail mages wore themselves out. He had faith, knowing of past battles the guild had gone through that Lucy told.

How much she had gone through, and the others. Remarkable really. Shuu doubted that everyone stayed the same, things had to change within. Yet Lucy never really spoke of other mages history, only the ones that involved her. Respect for her guild mates, it was what Shuu assumed at least.

Yui's panicked yell is what snapped both Shuu's and Ayato's head over to the platinum haired girl. Shuu glanced back over in time to see Yui rushing over with rags from under the bar to press into them against something as she tried her best to ignore the fight happening all around them. He could see her body tremble as she fought to keep her composure, and that's when Shuu smelt it.

Lucy's blood fermenting the air and Natsu's sharp cry of her name as he too smelt the blood.

Looking at the bleeding blonde, Yui analyzed what wounds Lucy had and how bad they really were. On her left arm and right side of her body to her rib cage, was where two chunks of flesh missing. Blood was pooling too fast that it caused Yui to panic even more as it bleed through the rags pressed. It was even more worrisome when Lucy didn't react, no hissing of pain or anything.

Her body is going into shock. She's loosing to much blood too fast. Yui thought to herself, a pain settling into her heart an the thought of loosing Lucy. The aspect of that idea shook her to her core in a new way, because if Lucy were to die here then god was not real. Lucy deserved to live, after the unfair childhood she had and the hand she had been dealt with throughout the years- she deserved to love and get married. To have children and a family of her own.

The thing pitiful about mortality was that life could change in a blink of an eye. Sometimes if you get distracted, stopped paying attention for a single second, you pay the price. One moment everything was okay, then everyone was fighting wolf familiars, and then suddenly Lucy's blood ripped through the air.

"Shuu!" Yui cried out with a renewed panicked desperation as Lucy coughed up blood, tears pricking her eyes as her hands and skin started to stain with Lucy's blood.

It was a cry he never heard Yui use before (and he hear her cry too a lot), but it was a cry so full of worry and fear that impinged fear into his very core. Never in his life had Shuu felt fear, but the strong wave that washed over him of worry that something happened to Lucy was no doubt fear. The scent of Lucy's blood was filling his senses with her very being in a way it shouldn't right now. His eyes refocused on Lucy, who was on the floor unmoving with Yui fumbling with shaky hands that were stained red.

All at once Lucy's smile, her laugh, her voice, the sound of her heartbeat in bed and the feeling of her touch flashed through his mind. A dull ache had settled in, dread. All these new emotions that came with the territory of loving someone was hitting him hard. He needed to get to Lucy, be by her side.

Yet the damn familiar had decided to block his way, haunching down and snarling as a threat. Shuu felt his patience snap with a sudden wildfire of anger only growing as Lucy's blood filled the air pungently. Without thinking about it, Shuu grabbed the familiar by the throat and threw the familiar as it leapt at him back into the fight within the guild. Not even five seconds later was he kneeling next to Yui, eyes scanning over where the damage inflicted on Lucy was.

The one thing he did notice right away was how the familiars had started to back off, turning running off into the night- leaving the guild in an abrupt silence and confusion. It all became clear as Shuu looked over Lucy's body, she had been the intended target but why? Why her? The Founders didn't even know her, and as far as Shuu knew they weren't even aware of her. Kino maybe? He knew though, but didn't get why.

"Someone get Wendy to heal her!"

Shuu heard someone, Cana as it sounded, yell. Yet looking over the deepness of the wounds marrying Lucy's body and the blood pooling beyond the cloth pressed against the wounds, she couldn't wait for Wendy. Lucy would be dead before then and that was even if Wendy could heal this if she were here from her mission.

"Shuu." It was Ayato who was kneeling down next to him, seeing that his oldest brother was trying to sort through his own thoughts on what course of action to take. He knew that Shuu was utterly in love with Lucy, because somehow the two blondes were literally each others halves. They worked, and he'd be damned if he let Shuu lose that.

They deserved happiness too, and Lucy taught them that. They were not their father, and they didn't have to be. It was because of Lucy they were given a choice, and they chose to live they way they wanted instead of being dictated by their father and living a life that was dull that was stained with blood.

Yet this was the first time Ayato really seen Shuu look so torn, and he knew in that very moment that if Shuu lost Lucy then they would lose Shuu as well. Lucy was Shuu's world, his very heart and joy and embodiment of humanity. If she was alive and breathing then Shuu would be happy.

"She's losing too much blood." Shuu muttered, listening to her heart beat slowly fade into a slower pace, how her breathing was broken. "Wendy isn't in the guild, and these gashes are too deep even then for her to heal all three after a mission."

Lucy had told him about the Eclipse Gate, how she had seen herself die. How she was a target of someone in the future, who came back to kill her and her future self forfeit her own life. Time travel being a thing was surprising enough, but Shuu could only image how traumatizing it was to see yourself die.

"Wendy wasn't able to heal a wound so deep then, maybe because of how young she was or her experience. I don't know but those type of wounds are more difficult. I can't image how they felt watching me die, I was devastated myself." Lucy admitted, her voice soft.

"Is this event apart of your nightmares?" He asked her, holding her to him in bed as the moonlight shinned through the windows.

"I'm scared." Lucy's voice was like a child's, vulnerable. "I'm scared of dying Shuu. I don't want to die yet and I've come close too many times for comfort."

It had been her first time admitting her fear of death, and Shuu understood. He understood as best as he could for an immortal who never had to worry about death. That was until he fell in love with Lucy Heartfilia, a human girl who would die eventually of old age if she chose not to turn. He wished they spoke more of the subject now, so he could know what to do. This wasn't a part of their plan, her dying wasn't apart of his vision of their life together.

"Is there something you can do?" Erza was the one who broke the silence, standing next to Subaru who wore a grim expression looking at Lucy's mess of a body.

He hadn't even registered that the guild members were surrounding them, worry etched into their expressions. Some were more grim than others, while others looked heartbroken and lost. Subaru was holding Asuka away from the bloody scene, her parents being on a mission and him watching her for Lisanna for a few minutes before the attack. Kanato and Azusa were panting still, both of there eyes uncharacteristically wide and showing some emotion. Kou and Yuma were stunned, but Yuma was quick to snap out of it and come forward.

Gray looked like he was going to be sick, having to see all the blood leaving Lucy's body. Then there was Natsu, who stood shell shocked.

"Natsu.. he didn't deal with my future self's death very well. It took time for him to distance himself."

"What are you talking about Erza?" Mira asks softly, unsure of what the red head was asking. "They aren't mages."

Gray caught on though as he took his eyes of Lucy's wounds, "Are you serious Erza?"

"No." Natsu shook his head with an undertone of a warning growl, "Don't even suggest that to them."

Yuma kneeled on the other side of Shuu, "You can save her Shuu. Or me and Ayato can if you can't find it in you."

"Maybe one day."

Her sleepy voice rang in his head, a tone he may never hear again if he didn't make a fucking choice. The thought hurt more than a silver knife to the heart, "It's suppose to be her choice."

"I don't want to die."

"Can you live without her?" Erza snapped at Gray and Natsu, ignoring Mira and any other of the questioning looks that they were given. "I can't imagine a world without Lucy, human or not I know she will still be the same Lucy. Our Lucy."

"She'll be like them." Natsu protested, arms crossed.

Erza fixed Natsu with a disbelieving look, "You'd let her die because you're scared of who she'll become, if she even changes at all!? This is your best friend Natsu! Our guild mate and family! Have some faith in her, because they aren't as bad as you make them to be!"

"What the hell are you two going on about?" Mira interjected, having heard enough to be throughly confused. "Turn Lucy? Into what?"

"A vampire." Natsu nearly spat the word, shaking his head. "No way."

Mira wasn't surprised that beings like vampires even existed, because honestly at this point anything was possible when it came to what was real and alive. Anything was possible to be happen and thrown their way. This though, was a it surprising but at the same time Mira felt no ill will from the brothers or Yui, so they weren't evil like people who did want to cause them harm and death in the past.

Yet it was Mira who kneeled across Shuu, covering her hand over his that was stained with Lucy's blood and ignored the low warning growl he gave out. "Please Shuu, save her. A world without Lucy isn't a world I'd like to be in, neither would anyone else in this room or even you. Please."

Shuu never looked away from Lucy's face, lightly brushing a hair from her blond face and pressing a soft kiss to her temple. Her strawberry scent was stained with her blood, and her heartbeat only grew weaker as the seconds passed. "I'm sorry." He muttered ever so softly, biting into his wrist and placing the bleeding wound to Lucy's parted lips as he remembered his promise.

"I won't let you die anytime soon, Lucy."

When she opened her eyes, the world was dark and hazy for just a single moment. When her vision cleared with a sharp focus Lucy could easily recognize the roof she stared at most days in her room of her childhood home. A roof that held so many memories, both good and bad. A roof where she would look up at when her mother would read her stories to lull her asleep, a roof where she spent most of her time crying under after Layla's death and feeling abandoned by her father. It was the very roof she cried into the arms of both Yui and Shuu, the roof she would spend time kicking Yuma and Kou's asses in board games.

It was a roof she come to love and hate all the same, but it was not the roof she had been under before. Her brown eyes widen in realization, causing her to sit up fast and look around with her hand flying to her neck where the dull ache still throbbed as a reminder along on her right side. She was supposed to be dead, wasn't she? Then why was she home? Was this some twisted joke, where her underlying peace was? No, she knew it wasn't.

"Shuu? Yuma? Natsu?" Lucy called, standing to walk to her door- unsure of what was happening. She glanced down at what she was wearing, surprised to see that she wore the same thing she was before. When the door of her room swung open, Lucy had slowly looked up, "What happe- Mom?"

Her voice cut off, throat closing from the cry of surprise that threaten to come out. In front of her was a woman Lucy never thought she would ever see again, the woman she yearned for every single day to talk too. The one person she missed the most. Tears were in both of their matching brown eyes as Layla Heartfilia broke out of her own shock and took her daughter into her arms. It was feeling her mother's arms around her that broke Lucy out of her trance and caused the young blonde to break down into a crying mess.

"Lucy." Layla whispered, holding her daughter tighter feeling her body shake before pulling away and taking Lucy's face into her hands by cupping her cheeks. Slowly wiping Lucy's eyes with her thumb. She took in every detail of her ay girl's face. How she matured from a child into a beautiful young woman, a woman who's time was not up yet.

"You're not supposed to be here. Not yet. It's not your time" Layla softly murmured, brushing Lucy's hair away from her face.

"Where am I?" Lucy questioned, taking in her mother's touch and memorizing the sound of her voice. A voice Lucy could barely remember until now. A voice Lucy needed more than ever to hear.

"This place is where we go when we die when we are at peace." Layla says gently, running her hand through her daughter's hair like she would when Lucy was a child. A touch Lucy couldn't help but lean into and close her watering eyes.

"Lucy, darling, I need you to go back. To wake up." It was the voice of Jude Heartfilia who brought Lucy in to full on tears as he gently took Lucy from Layla's arms to hold her in a way he never did when she needed it most as a child.

Hearing those words, Lucy shook her head, "No, I don't want to. I want to be here with you, with mom."

Despite everything, Lucy had forgiven her father. She forgave him knowing he felt lost without her mother, and that despite all he did, in the end he loved her. He loved her and she knew he tried to hide her away from the Sakamaki's but their paths were bound to cross. Yet, she wasn't sure if she wanted to go back now. She had her mother.

Distantly, very distantly like a tingle, her body felt weird. It was a weird sensation that felt misplaced, like an out of body experience. It was a mixture of numbness and a weird coldness with a splash of a burning sensation gnawing at her throat.

"Lucy, wake up. Please open your eyes."

"You have to go back to your family." Layla took her spot back, grabbing Lucy's hand and giving her a smile that held sadness. "I've watched over you all these years, and even though I couldn't have been there for you, I watched you grow into a beautiful, powerful woman I couldn't be more proud of."

Those proud eyes broke Lucy, because if her mother had been watching her then she knew what she did. How could she be proud of the sin Lucy committed? She broke a promise, a thing she vowed to never do. How was that ever forgivable?

"I broke Aquarius, Mom. How is that forgivable? You left her for me and I broke the last thing I had of you." Lucy sniffled, trying not to break down crying.

Layla shook her head, "No, she saved your life. She knew the consequence of her request, but she always put your well being before anything else. Ever since I was pregnant, she knew she'd be by your side until the very end. Forgive her of asking something so hard, but know one day your paths will cross again. Besides, there is one thing you will always have of me with you that will never break."

"What?" Lucy titled her head.

Layla merely beamed with pride, "Your heart, my sweet darling. I carried you for nine months, gave you life. Your heart beat was synced with mine at one time. My love, you living with my memory will be forever. Nothing will ever take that away from you."

Lucy felt even more weird now, like a burning running through her veins. It wasn't painful, but it was growing more and more uncomfortable by the second.

"There isn't a day that I don't watch over you, or go through the letters you've written." Layla's hands tighten, knowing already what was happening. "When your father arrived and told me what he did, where you'd ended up, I was so mad that I nearly killed him again here. Yet you are so much more than meets the eye, and I can see the love you have for those boys, for your guild, and for your spirits. You're heart is strong, you are forgiving and have a very special gift of seeing past the dark parts of people and being able to bring their good out. You're not done living, you're purpose is not yet fulfilled my darling daughter, which is why you must go back."

"I need to apologize to you first, Lucy." Jude spoke up from behind Layla, catching Lucy's eyes. "I was a selfish man, and I treated you poorly in a way no father should have. When you left, it was then I realized what I had done and who I had become. Hiring that dark guild was the wrong way to go about it, and then you were gone for five years. Then those five years turned into seven and I fell ill. The only person I was able to tell the truth to had been Michelle."

Lucy's eyes widen, "That's why she wanted me for herself. To keep me safe." Michelle brought that closure with her coming into Lucy's life, giving her some strength to forgive her father. She realized it now.

"It was my dying wish to get you away from what I signed you up for, what I knew would eventually come back for you. It's for that I'm sorry, for subjecting you to the life you left me for even after I was dead. Something I'll never be able to truly atone for." Jude looked down, and it was then Lucy left her mother to wrap her arms around her father.

"I forgave you a long time ago, father." Lucy whispered softly, reassuringly. "I knew you loved me."

Layla could only smile at her husband and daughter, but knew when she heard someone calling Lucy's name that she had to get Lucy to go. It was time to say goodbye.

"We don't agree with how they treated you. Of how rough and aggressive they were at first with you, but they've changed into better men because of you. People deserve more chances, despite their horrible pasts." Layla joined Jude by his side, intertwining their fingers. "We support you on whatever choices make you happy in life."

"You must make a choice now Lucy." Jude says, smiling at his daughter with a smile she couldn't even recall ever seeing.

"If you go back, you won't be the same. We can feel the difference coming from you." Layla says softly. "You are in a state of limbo, so you can choose to stay and your body will simply give out. Or you can wake up, be with those you love with our blessing to get married."

Lucy's eyes teared up, hearing the voices of her friends and spirits echoing in her head. She couldn't just leave them to be here with her parents, she knew that even if she yearned to have them back so badly. Eventually they would meet again.

"I love you, mom, dad." Lucy whispered, moving to wrap her arms around her parents as they wrapped theirs around her and kissed each side of her temple.

"We love you too, Lucy." Jude softly tells her the words he always failed to say.

"To the moon and beyond the celestial world " Layla whispered as their daughter slowly disappeared and Jude hugged his wife as she cried.

"Until we meet again."

It was with a gasp that Lucy shot up from where she laid, tears running down her cheek, hissing when she opened her eyes. Everything was so bright, and suddenly everything was so loud.

She could hear everyone talking at once, yet couldn't quite make out what was being said. Opening her eyes once again, slowly this time, she peered around the worried faces of her team. Of Shuu and Yuma, and then focused on Happy- who had flew into her chest before she could register the movement.

"Happy." She whispered softly, wincing at how loud his cries were to her ears more than usual. His wails were as if they were inside her ears, threatening to pop something. She frowned, confused and looked up at those around her. Instantly she took notice of how the air smelled, of how instead of breathing and smelling nothing, she smelled everything and nearly gagged.

"Don't breathe through your nose." Yuma was quick to tell her, a little worried that his cousin would snap with overstimulation.

Tilting her head, Lucy frowned at Yuma and looked over at Shuu, who looked away from her with an expression she never seen adorn his face before. Shame? What was he ashamed for? Had she done something to upset him? Why couldn't she recall what happened?

Razor sharp teeth.

Pain.

With a shaky right hand, Lucy moved her fingers to skim over the wounds that were supposed to be on her body. Yet there was nothing on her right side or on her left arm. Had she been healed? Did Wendy heal here? Looking around the room, scanning over each face brought the realization that Wendy was in fact not there.

Then why?

How?

Natsu could see it, along with anyone else that was permitted into the room, that Lucy's mind was working hard at trying to understand what happened. To piece together what was happening exactly but wasn't too sure exactly what to think. He could feel his own body tremble, because he had failed her. He failed protecting Lucy and her future the moment he left her alone after Tartaros.

"I'm sorry Luce." Natsu's voice was a mere whisper, under his breath, but she heard it. Her frown only deepened because she didn't understand. Her breath hitched in her throat when Natsu lifted his head, how his dark eyes were red rimmed and full of unshed tears.

Now that she really looked, most of her team had the very same eyes. Closing her eyes, Lucy tried to figure it out, but then she heard it. The slow and low, thump thump, at uneven paces that signaled multiple people. The same sound she would listen to sleeping against Shuu's chest, and first came to know by accidentally cuddling with Natsu when he snuck into her bed. Sounds she shouldn't be able to hear, not while sitting a few feet away in an infirmary bed.

Seeing the realization cross her face, followed by the panic and fear, Erza moved to stand next to her and grabbed her hand, "We couldn't let you die, Lucy. Your wounds had been too deep to wait for Wendy, if she could heal all of them or of any at all. You don't know how much blood there was, how fast the choice had to be made."

"A choice that should have been yours." Gray says softly, "A choice Shuu didn't want to take away from you, but we couldn't lose you again. This time we were the selfish ones."

Lucy's eyes drifted back towards Shuu, and softly she reached out to touched his hair, "Shuu, look at me. Please."

Hearing her voice speak to him so gently, he couldn't deny her request. Slowly lifting his head, his blue eyes met her brown eyes. It was the first time Lucy had ever seen fear in those blue eyes that were usually confident and ignorant. The first time she saw him scared, of what- she wasn't sure of.

Cupping his cheek in her hand, Lucy watched as Shuu leaned into it and closed his eyes. Turning his head ever so slightly, he pressed his nose gently into her wrist and inhaled her scent that was still strawberry and vanilla.

"It's okay." Lucy forced the smile on her lips, unsure what to really feel when she was still comprehending it all. "We'll work through this alright? All of us." She looked over at her team and her eyes landed on Natsu. "You have nothing to be sorry for Natsu."

"I wasn't able to keep you safe-"

"That shouldn't be your responsibility. In fact it shouldn't be anyones." Lucy's voice didn't waver, and this time her smile was genuine. "Natsu, my safety was never your responsibility, but I appreciate all the times you've saved me. This time, however, wasn't your fault. Don't blame yourself."

"Lucy, your heart stopped." Natsu argued, getting worked up. "You were turned into something you aren't supposed to be and I could have stopped it if I just paid closer attention to you!"

"Natsu." Erza snapped, trying to get the emotional dragon slayer to calm before he said something he regretted.

"No Erza!" Natsu snarled, visibly upset. "You should have let her die, because then she wouldn't be a demon like them!

Lucy flinched at his words, letting Happy go completely now in her surprise and bringing her knees to her chest. She knew Natsu, how he could be in the spur of the moment with his emotions. Yet that didn't stop how much the comment stung.

Her brown eyes looked down onto her blankets, and she felt a range of emotions that she had no control of. The two strongest ones being anger and grief that rushed into her system out of nowhere. Suddenly her eyes snapped onto Natsu, saying three words that made his blood run cold, "Then kill me."

"Lucy-" Yuma and Gray said at the same time, while Shuu withheld his snarl and Erza suppressed her urge to bash Natsu's head in.

"What?" Natsu muttered, eyes wide. As if she had struck him with her hand.

"If you think I should have stayed dead, then kill me." Lucy's voice never wavered, but it was concerning how devoid of emotion her voice suddenly sounded. "The truth is me turning was more of a when than if. Yet if you truly think I should be dead, and you can live with it, then kill me. Silver through the heart, decapitation, or fire will work. You're good at burning things anyways, right Natsu?"

"You can't be serious, Luce." Gray argued.

"Lushie." Happy whimpered.

Lucy said nothing as she stared Natsu down, knowing that the dragon slayer would never do anything to harm her within his control. Not physically at least, and especially not using his own hands to end her life. Yet the words had slipped out of her mouth without much thought and she didn't feel anything. She couldn't feel anything after feeling everything all at once.

And at the moment, she couldn't bring herself to even care.

Sorry for the delay in an update! Life has been crazy with a new job and college! Anyways, here is a new chapter and I hope you enjoyed it after the wait and that it made sense. I knew what I wanted this chapter to be for a while now but writing it out in a format that made me happy to share with you all was a little more difficult. Also does anyone listen to the songs I add on top? Just wondering 😂

Anyways let me know your thoughts on this chapter! We'll see more of Natsu's inner thoughts and the Celestial Spirits soon! Also, what do what want to see more of in this story? I know I should work on my detail in my writing, so I'll try that next chapter. Anything on vampire Lucy we should test ideas on? 😂

((I kinda like the idea of a vampire persona of Lucy and her human persona, like pissed Lucy turns into vampire Lucy who gives no shits. The again I had 4 hours of sleep and I am delusional))

Happy holidays to everyone! Wishing you all and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Thank you for all the continuous support for another year! Love you!

Be safe!