Chapter 10

For All Eternity

Cronus walked slowly to the guild, thinking over how Lucy had just been acting. She said we, not me. Are there more than one? His brows were furrowed in concentration as he walked, so engrossed in his thoughts that he barely noticed when Gajeel and Laxus stopped in front of him.

"Oi!" Gajeel said, waving a hand in front of Cronus' face. "What you doin' out here new guy? Ain't you s'posed to be watching Bunny?"

"You mean Luce? She left." He said blankly.

"Left." Laxus said, more of a statement than a question. Is this guy an idiot? He just let the psychotic serial killer go?

"Yep. Gone." Cronus said again.

"And you didn't stop her?"

"Of course I tried, but believe it or not I kind of like living." Walking around the two bulking masses, Cronus continued his beeline to the Fairy Tail guild.

"Did you at least ask where she went?"

"No need."

"Why's that?" Gajeel asked, seriously doubting anything the guy had to say.

"Because I put a tracker on her." Not even a break in his stride, not even a blink of an eye.

He did what?! Maybe he's not as stupid as I thought...

Lucy stood at the edge of the forest, sniffing the air for signs of the life form she was looking for. Nothing. Swiftly and silently she sprinted to the small cabin that belonged to her old friend the fire dragon-slayer, sniffing the air and accessing the surroundings she noted that he wasn't there. Not even inside the house. Sitting outside the door she pulled her knees to her chest and bowed her head into the dark cavern between her body and her legs, her hair swooping down to make curtains to keep out the light. Guess I'll just wait.

Natsu had been feeling wrong since he had woken up. Something just didn't seem right and he couldn't shake the feeling like something was about to happen. His stressed aura had been bothering both Erza and Gray, who seemed a bit too calm considering the circumstances, so they had sent him home, and now that he was walking through the woods, the path he'd worn down himself, and then Lucy. She'd walked this path so many times it had almost started to smell like her. She would come and – wait... what's that? Raising his nose to the sky he sniffed, smelling the oh so familiar and sweet scent of his best friend. Lucy? Excitement overcame his sense of wariness as he rushed to his house to find the gorgeous blonde sitting on his front porch.

"Lucy?" A smile spread across his face as her head shot up from it's bowing position and her eyes met his.

"Natsu. We've been waiting." She smiled sadly and her eyes held so much pain. How had I not noticed that pain before? Had it always been there? It looked like it had. The pain that Natsu saw in Lucy's eyes looked old, and as much a part of her as her brightest smile that she would show only him. Where was that smile now? Would it come back for him, the smile that made all the darknesses go away?

Lucy stood and stretched. Natsu watched as she held out her arms above her head, linking her fingers and pushing her palms to the sky.

"Lucy wanted us to tell you something before we do what we have to."

"We?" Natsu's brow furrowed, but the sad smile never left Lucy's face.

"She says 'do you remember our last mission together?'"

Natsu nodded. "Of course. It's kind of a hard one to forget."

"And then do you remember what you said to me after we got home?" He shook his head.

"You said 'Lucy, the team and I don't think you should be in Team Natsu any more. We'll be taking Lisanna out with us now. It'll be better that way.' Do you remember?"

Natsu shook his head again, his face falling from it's previous look of confusion to a look of sadness that couldn't even hold a candle to the sadness in Lucy's heart.

"Do you remember how I smiled?" Another shake.

"Do you remember how I said 'Ok, Natsu! Whatever you think would be better for the team.'? DO YOU?!"

Shake. Shake.

Rage filled her voice as she leaned forward with vengeful intent.

"Because I remember! I remember the gut wrenching pain that came with every fake smile and laugh and cheery word that I FORCED from my poor, tired soul! I remember the way I would cry myself to sleep every night because I missed you too damn much! WE remember! WE REMEMBER EVERYTHING!" Her scream mixed with tears and anger and reverberated around the small clearing.

She lunged forward, a hand shot behind her back to grab a knife and the other to her waist to grasp her whip handle and send it in the direction of Natsu's face. The tip connected with a sickening CRACK and Natsu went flying backwards, his head whipping to the side from the force of the impact. He staggered up, hand on his injured cheek, blooding pouring through his fingers.

Lucy laughed, "head wounds always bleed the most. But don't worry. I won't aim only for your head."

"Lucy, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG? What's wrong is that you can't remember the day you crushed me! What's wrong is that you forgot about me the second that lie came out of my mouth!"

"Lie?"

"Yes, Natsu, you oblivious little fuck. A lie. What in this fucking universe made you think it was ok to just kick someone off of your team? Someone who was injured and hurting more than any of you! You had NO IDEA what I saw! And you kicked me out. UNFORGIVABLE!"

By the time Cronus got to Natsu's house with the master Lucy was sitting on Natsu's chest with her knife raised above her head and her face twisted in ugly rage.

"Luce?" He asked, her hand stopped it's plummeting motion towards Natsu's face.

"Cronus. Be a dear and go away so I can finish the traitor. Oh, and take the master with you, I have no business with him."

"But I have business with you, Lucy." Master interjected.

"Then it will have to wait until later. I'm currently occupied." Natsu's eyes had been squeezed shut but now they opened to look up at Lucy's calm face in desperation. He hadn't wanted to fight, but the burns on Lucy's arms said that he had fought anyway.

Cronus looked at Lucy, considering what to do next when he noticed, I? She's using first person. And not 'we.' It's really Lucy!

"Luce? Is it really you?"

"Of course. I would never have them kill Natsu for me. That will be my pleasure and mine alone. I will be the one who feels his bones crush beneath my fingers and to hear him scream in pain." She groaned as if in ecstasy, "music to my ears."

"Luce, you need to think about this logically." He said, "If you kill him you can't make him suffer for very long, can you?" Natsu's and the master's eyes widened. The fuck are you doing?!

"I suppose you have a point... an eternity or torture or 50 minutes? Your choice Natsu."

Before Natsu could make his usual stupid reply master chirps in "He chooses eternity of torture." Thank Mavis, he understands, Cronus thought.

Natsu's voice went squeaky with shock, "What!"

Master sent a stern look in Natsu's direction, "Trust me, boy."

"Very well. The votes have been counted. An eternity of torture it is. And I can live for a very long time with these things inside me." She smirked as she leaned down so she was nose to nose with Natsu, looking him dead in the eyes. Then she smashed her lips against his in a harsh and forceful kiss, that Natsu didn't find completely displeasing. She released Natsu's face from the death grip between her hands she had used to keep his head still during the kiss and stood up. Her feet framed the sides of his head, lifting one she stomped down onto his face with all the hatred that had built up in her since her leaving Team Natsu.

"Till next time, baby dragon. I can't wait to play some more." She promised as she left the half-dead body of the bloody and beaten Natsu in the centre of the clearing. Leaving with Cronus following in her wake her cackle echoed throughout the forest.