Natsu POV

I am on my way back to Fairy Tail, as I just completed my mission. I was dreading going back though, because I would have to endure being in the same building as Lucy again. Don't get me wrong, I miss Lucy to bits, but.. It causes me pain to know that we aren't friends, and haven't been for a long time. I miss her that much, that I sometimes – at night – go up onto my roof at night, and roar out her name in tears. In fact, I did that last night, when I was supposed to be resting up for my journey back to Fairy Tail today. I had cried so much, that roaring her name had begun to suffocate me while I was doing it. People walking by below gave me weird looks, but they have no idea how pained I am over this. No body does. As far as they know, I have merely not been as cheerful as I used to be, and that maybe I had hurt myself and was blaming Lucy for it, and that's it. They think that they're right about that.

Wrong. I feel as though my heart has been viciously cut out, jaggedly, and has been torn to odd shapes and pieces. Also, I could never blame her for something like this, it was entirely my fault. I feel like my guts have been wrenched out of me, and were being used for some Christmas tree decorations. I feel hollow without Lucy, and sometimes, I have no idea why. I have tried figuring out why I feel so torn to pieces about this, but come up empty, so I leave it alone.

Right now, I am tired and I want to sleep – but I can't, because not only is it time for me to leave, but also because I had grown so used to sleeping next to Lucy. It was easy and effortless to sleep next to her. But since I have been alone, I can't find it in me to sleep. And if I do, it doesn't last for long. Maybe 2-4 hours at most, every night. I feel so useless without her, I just can't describe how lonesome I feel.. or how.. heart-broken.. I am.. I feel so pathetic.. I go solo now, whilst Lucy still stays with Erza and Grey – good riddance to that annoying brain-frozen stripping pervert.

I was cut off from my internal turmoil when I heard Happy demanding my attention. I looked round for him but couldn't see him.

"NAAAATTSSSSUUUUUUU!" I heard Happy cry out my name. I whipped my head in the direction it came from. Happy was flying to me at max speed with a letter in his hands. Happy was also.. crying? What happened?

"Happy! What's wrong? Why are you crying?" I questioned Happy.

"Here.. It's from Gramps.. I read it first, and it's not good news, Natsu! Waaaaahh!" Happy cried, as he stopped in front of me. He handed me the letter and I took it and started to read.

My heart shattered again and my blood seemed to turn into ice in my veins. I couldn't believe what I was reading. Was Gramps serious? He couldn't be.. There's no way..

The next thing Happy or I knew, I was bolting back to Fairy Tail – not once slowing down. I couldn't, not after I read that god forsaken letter! I put the letter away, in my back pocket, as I ran. I didn't stop until I got to the outskirts of Magnolia, where I took out the letter again and re-read it, my eyes wide and I was panicking. Could it really be..?

Natsu,

Come home, NOW. I must tell you all the details when you

Get back, I know that for certain, because I have a feeling

That you will not rest until you know everything that had

Happened while you were out on your mission.

The only thing I can tell you in this letter will probably

Hurt for you to know. Lucy has been kidnapped. No one

Knew she was missing until when Erza went by her apart-

Ment this morning, to ask her to join Ezra on a mission, and

Saw a note on Lucy's desk. I will show you the note once you

Come home. Please hurry, we are already fearing the worst.

Oh, and Natsu? Don't hide how you feel about this. Every

One at Fairy Tail knows how you feel about Lucy, we know

That you still care for her, so don't be afraid to let out all

Your frustrations and anxiety. We all feel the same and we

Are all here for you. You are a part of Fairy Tail, as is Lucy,

And if one of us is hurt, we all hurt. You are not alone.

Please come back safely, and in one piece. I don't care if

You burn down a building or two, just come back OK.

Master Makarov.

After re-reading it, I looked over Magnolia and spotted Fairy Tail. I rocked back on my heels first, then burst into a sprint at such fast speeds that I left a trail of fire behind me. When I got to Fairy Tail, I burst the doors open and ran inside. I could see everyone turn to me with surprise and shock written all over their faces, as I ran inside, as well as sadness. That was it. I picked up my pace and rushed over to Gramps. I am pretty sure I was crying when I held up the crumpled letter in my hand and looked at Gramps with grief in my face.

"Please.. Tell me you were lying.. Tell me that she's not.. Tell me that Lucy is fine! Please.." I whimpered to Gramps, my tears flowing harder. I can't believe this happened. I was gone for three days, and this happened.. I shouldn't have gone.. I should have stayed.. I should have protected her..

"I'm sorry, Natsu.. But I was serious in the letter., no matter how much I wish I was lying. Come upstairs, I will tell you everything." Gramps told me.

I couldn't handle it – I threw my head back and roared, very loudly, in pain and grief. I knew flames were coming out, I could feel the heat escape my mouth. But I can't help it. I blamed myself. If only I had never ended our friendship – things would have been different! She would have been with me and she wouldn't have been kidnapped because I would have protected her.

I saw my Nakama cover their ears, as they saw me lose it. I could see all of their fear, as they took in what was happening. I fell to my knees and punched the floor so hard that my knuckles split open, blood going everywhere, and the floor boards made a crater around me. I kept punching the floor, letting out all of my emotions, as I cried and roared. Finally, I was suddenly too tired to keep on punching and roaring. Instead, I was on my hands and knees, whimpering loudly as I cried soundly. I could feel someone come up to me and bring up into a sitting position. My head still hung low, as I just didn't have any strength left in me to lift it and see who it was – who was now hugging me from behind. I felt so.. broken.. Inside and outside. The only thing I could tell about the person hugging me, was that it was a girl. I finally mustered up enough strength, in which I miraculously found that I had, and turned my head around to see that is was a crying Erza. I could see Grey coming up to us, him tearing up, and fell to his knees as he hugged us both. I was surprised at first, but when I heard him start to sob, I knew he felt some of my pain. I really could not blame him, Lucy was precious to all of us..

She was so precious to us, that I will be dead and damned to lowest and the up-most rotten piece of hell before I let anything bad happen to her – even given these circumstances! I suddenly felt my body go rigid in rage, my body recovering its strength. I lowered my head, so that my bangs covered my eyes, and gently pried Erza and Grey off of me. I stood up, and lifted my head as I looked at Gramps. I could see my reflection in his eyes. My eyes were filled with determination, rage and reason and my face was contorted into a look that screamed "DANGER! DANGER! KEEP AWAY!". In other words, I looked like I was out to kill someone, a someone who had crossed the wrong guy.

"Makarov.." I said, my voice low and calm – giving a very dangerous edge to it. Gramps looked a bit scared, I never called him by his name – not to his face. I never even called him Master, either. I was also never this pissed. This is the first time that I had ever been this pissed. "Take Erza, Grey and I upstairs. Tell me everything, and then we shall all be on our way." I told him. I saw Erza and Grey looking at me, fear in their eyes. It was rare when Grey was scared, so that was a little bit of a surprise – but it was absolutely almost impossible for Erza to be scared of anything. I mean, come on, how many people get to say that they made Fairy Tail's very own Titania scared? I don't think that anyone could scare Erza, that's just how fearful she is. Except today. Today, she was as frightened as a little bunny rabbit that's hiding from a hunting fox, and she was 'trying to not be seen or heard' at this rate.

Gramps meekly nodded and got off from the bar and trudged upstairs. I turned to Erza and Grey, they both flinched when I looked at them. Good, that means that when I see the guy who has done this to Lucy, he will know that he will get seriously injured – whether or not he surrenders Lucy, it wont matter. Because either way, he will be beaten to an inch of his life left.

"You guys coming?" I asked them, making my voice softer so that they would be less scared of me. They both nodded quickly and rushed to their feet and ran up the stairs. I trudged up the stairs and went to Gramps' office.

"Show me the note." I requested. Gramps was sitting behind his desk, so he pulled a drawer out and sifted through some papers. When he finally got what he was looking for, he handed it to me. I instantly opened it and read it.

To whoever sees this note,

I have taken away your precious Lucy Heartfilia. If you

ever want to see her again, give me 200,000,000 jewel.

If you do not, then she will die.

If you understand, then meet me at Hargeon Harbor

in a week, at noon. We shall exchange her and the

money there.

My blood boiled even more. I wanted this guy dead. I wanted him to pay for kidnapping Lucy, making Erza, Grey and everyone else cry. I wanted this guy to be damned to a bottomless pit of hell. I memorised the strange scent that came from the letter, location and time, then I burned the note.

"We will be back, Makarov. After we get back, prepare a party. We will need to celebrate getting Lucy back." I smiled, hopefully a nice smile and not a scary smile, at Gramps.

Gramps eyes widened. "Natsu, what are you saying..?" he muttered.

"I am saying that Erza, Grey and I are taking our leave now. We shall be back with Lucy in a few days at most. I can find this guy – I have the scent. I will stop by Lucy's and head off from there." I informed him. "Don't worry, we will all come back unharmed." I assured him.

Gramps looked like he wanted to object but even he knew that I would still go, even is he forbade me to. I would even go if he threatened to exile me from Fairy Tail. He nodded silently, and so I turned around. Erza and Grey flanked me as we were taking our leave. "Be careful." he told us as we left. I put a thumbs up at him in the doorway before walking off.

I got to the doors of Fairy Tail before I turned around and looked at everybody. I gave them a re-assuring smile and said aloud, so that they could all hear me. "Don't worry! I'll bring our Lucy back!" and with that, Erza, Grey and I – along with Happy, of course – left the guild, in search of our lost Nakama.