Fire is catching
Chapter 43
Author's Note: Hey guys, I spent the entirety of yesterday writing and here it is: the last chapter, oh my gooooood! After two years of working on this story, I've finally completed it! As a person who's terrible at bringing big projects to an end, I'm really proud of myself. I hope you enjoy the final chapter of Fire is catching.
Scooting a little closer, thankful for the body heat he gives off into the cooling evening air, I can't help but feel as if I'm lying next to a time bomb, only waiting to blow up.
Said time bomb doesn't seem to be aware of my concern for him though as he lies down, closing his eyes and muttering "I'll try to get some sleep, I'm exhausted. See you on the other side?" And with those confusing words he proceeds to grasping my hand and dozing off within seconds.
Even though I know that he won't notice it I can't help but feel embarrassed about how sweaty my palm feels, but even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to wriggle out of his firm grip.
At first I seem to be unable to fall asleep but Natsu's slow breathing next to me soon manages to calm me down.
Falling into the dream feels like diving up out of the depths of a cold lake and when I take a quick look at my surroundings I can't say that I'm surprised to be in the guild hall once again, seated at the wooden counter of the bar. Natsu's propped on the chair next to me looking a little confused.
"Lucy…,is it you again?"
"Yes it's me, district 8 Lucy"
At this the tensions rushes out of his body and his lips curl up: "Oh good, you were somewhat different up to now and I think that this other Lucy was starting to think I'm insane, kept talking about an important job we had to go on and I didn't have a single clue what she was talking about."
"I know what you mean, there was another Natsu in my dream, I mean in this dream world, too. But you're saying that this other Lucy, this other me, was sitting next to you only a few seconds ago?"
"Yap, right we're you're at now."
"So she disappeared and was replaced by me?" I ask, wanting to comprehend this mysterious world.
"No, her eyes got all glassy and she stopped talking for a few seconds and then her body continued moving normally but this time it was you"
"So it's more like I took control over her body, almost like possessing her?" The thought of this sends shivers down my neck.
"Yeah, even though I don't know if you can label it as possession if it's still your body we're talking about."
"But this isn't my body, it can't be, my body's asleep in the arena. This is just a weird dream, a weird, realistic, shared dream"
"Well if this was a dream we wouldn't have to talk about possessing bodies, right? Come on Luce, you can't tell me that you don't have an odd feeling about this? I mean, a shared dream between two people that keeps going on? Us being here, completely conscious of our situation with our memories of the real world and all? That's just not normal!"
I bite my lip trying to get a grip on the million different thoughts that are racing through my mind. "I know but…"
A violent clap on the back of my shoulder keeps me from finishing my sentence "So that's where you two have been, we've been looking for you" says Erza, wearing her signature armor and standing between Natsu and me, an iron hand on each of our shoulders. I shriek back at her touch and stifle a soft scream, the hairs on my arms all standing up. The ever so frightening Erza is now standing next to me, giving me and Natsu a suspicious smug: "You two have been a little weird lately, always huddled up in a corner together, talking all by yourself, preferring to stay in instead of going out on jobs…"
"Ooooooh, are you two finally dating?" squeals an energetic looking Mirajane as she jumps out behind the bar counter her eyes sparkling. Seeing her like this, her rosy cheeks flushed with a healthy glow, so beautiful, so alive, feels like a punch straight in my face. She seems to be interpreting my pained expression as a different kind of guilt and squeaks excitedly: "I knew it! I've always known it! But oh boy Natsu, you sure took your time, why did you wait so long? Oooooh wait till I tell Juvia, she owes me 10 bucks now!"
Still too perplexed to say anything both Natsu and I remain silent which only seems to confirm their suspicions to the two girls. Erza gently squeezes my shoulder and glances around between Natsu and me. "Congratulations guys, I'm really happy for you." Then, tightening her grasp on his arm, she turns towards Natsu and gives him the kind of death glare I would've expected from the real life career Erza "Don't you dare break Lucy's heart though, I swear to God if you do, even Wendy's healing powers will be helpless when they'll try to glue you back together, so you'd better be careful."
I can literally see Natsu shrinking into his seat, too intimidated to open his mouth. Then, Erza's gaze turns soft again and she flashes a faint but kind smile at us before turning around and walking away.
Natsu and I both remain seated in silence, sneaking embarrassed glances at each other before quickly looking away, the absurdity of the situation having stolen our ability to speak.
Finally it's me that breaks the silence: "So from what I can tell, there are a different Lucy and a different Natsu living in this world and we just momentarily slip into their bodies whenever we're here but they continue existing and living their lives even after we're gone. And on top of that, most of the other tributes seem to have a doppelgänger here as well and we're all a big happy group of friends that gets along. No fighting to the death, no arena, no hunger games?"
"Yeah, that about sums it up. Even though I really still don't get it."
"You're right, there still are a lot of open questions. Like whether for instance this really is nothing but a dream or maybe more like a kind of alternate reality?" Speaking those words aloud sounds silly, but this thought can't stop nagging at me, it somehow feels right.
"An alternate reality? Do those even exist? I'm sorry Luce, but my brain can't keep up with stuff like this."
"Hey you two love birds! Quit sitting around in a corner and come join us" shouts a shirtless Gray across the hall "Or is flame brain too love-struck? Really Lucy, I don't get what you see in him!"
"We should probably go over there, or they'll start noticing we're not the Natsu and Lucy they know", I mutter under my breath while standing up.
Natsu just gives me a quick nod and starts getting up as well.
"Just try to act natural" I add.
"Whatever that means."
And with that, we head over to the long wooden table and sit down in the midst of Gray, Juvia, Mirajane, Wendy, Lisanna and a bunch of other faces that have all flashed up in the arena's night sky but are now happily chatting about all sorts of things, laughing together instead of jumping at each other's throats.
It feels so weird to sit there with them while having the knowledge about what happened to them in the real world, which is why I'm very thankful when Natsu actually grabs my hand under the table and interlocks his fingers with mine. It's just a small gesture but reassures me a lot, letting me know that he's here with me, that I'm not alone in this bizarre situation.
But as time passes I let my guard down, relax and just enjoy being a normal young girl surrounded by her friends for a while, even if I know that it's just a beautiful lie.
After hours of joking around I actually start considering the option that this fantasy might be the real world after all. Maybe the arena, the hunger games are just a dystopian nightmare that doesn't want to end? The more I think about it, the more sense it makes to me. The blood in this world is just as red as the one that was spilled in the arena, time flows just as continuously and the surroundings, the people, feel just as real. Could it be?
A soft squeeze of my hand rips me out of my thoughts and I look into Natsu's eyes, as deep and dark as a lake on a foggy winter day and I can see the worry reflected in them. As I'm about to say something reassuring, I notice some flickering movements at the periphery of my vision and I know that it's time to go.
The world around me, the world that I thought to be reality just a few seconds ago, gets distorted in the most peculiar ways, everything spinning and dissolving around me. All through this bizarre process, Natsu doesn't let go of my hand, his fingers the only thing I know to be real without a single doubt.
When I wake up I have to shield my eyes from the bright sun, the cloudless blue sky mockingly expanding endlessly above me, perfect weather in an imperfect world.
I sigh heavily and turn around to face Natsu, who woke up around the same time as me. His expression looks a little lost, as if a part of him is still in this other dream world and I can tell by the way he looks at me that I must look the same.
"It's weird, isn't it?" I say, knowing he'll understand what I mean. He just gives me a small, absent nod.
"You know what I think?" I ask "I figured that maybe it isn't just a dream after all, maybe it's just as real as this is."
At that, I get his full attention and he scoots a little closer, eyes wide open: "But how would that work?"
I shrug my shoulders, my words of wisdom running low. "I don't know. Maybe a time and space hole has opened between two overlapping realities and we're somehow able to switch back and forth between them."
He seems to consider this for a moment, brows knitted and thoughtfully looking into the distance before shaking his head and saying "That's too complicated for me. Thinking about it makes my head hurt."
I let out a high pitched laugh "Yeah, I don't think anyone can wrap their mind around that."
"I'd like it to be true though. It would be nice to know that this" he makes a wide gesture that includes the entire arena "isn't the only thing I have. That there's another world, another life, in which I'm happy and free and I'm with my friends and with you."
We sit there in silence for a long time, each of us caught in their own thoughts. After a while the pain from his injuries makes Natsu drift back to sleep, but I can tell that this time, it's a dreamless one.
As I just sit there looking at everything and nothing at all, my vision going in and out of focus I hear a soft bell-like sound very nearby. Turning around I notice that a small, silver parachute has landed right next to my right hand. Surprised, I detach the little card attached to it, I certainly wasn't expecting any sponsor's gifts.
As my fingers slip the note out of its envelope I get the gut feeling that something weird is about to happen. The note says "If you want to save the boy on fire, the antidote will be at the Cornucopia at 12 PM, tomorrow" The letters are simple, sleek and black, the texture of the paper thick and steady. I have to read through the words printed on it a couple of times before comprehending their meaning. They are offering me an antidote for the poison that is slowly killing Natsu. It will be placed at the former and probably still present head quarter of Erza Scarlet, the only other tribute remaining besides Natsu and me. They want me to go there. And with "they" I'm referring to the game makers, because even though it's disguised as one, this note wasn't sent by Angel and my sponsors. But why did the game makers choose this way of communicating with me? They could've made this whole announcement a lot more impressive by blasting it through loud speakers in the arena or projecting it onto the sky the way they do every night. So why send a parachute?
Then it hits me. Because it's private. They wanted the message to be delivered only to me and not let Natsu see it. But why?
Because they want me to go alone. They want me to betray Natsu's trust and sneak off to get the antidote on my own. They know that Natsu wouldn't approve of me going alone, but they also know that I'm desperate and willing to do anything to save that boy. They know that I'm going to do it, that I'm going to take my chances and face Erza on my own. They know, because they observe. They know, because they know everything that goes on inside of this arena.
It feels weird, being aware of the fact that this whole thing is an obvious trap, a way to lure me out of hiding and have a showdown between the two last female tributes. A strong, experienced warrior and well, me. But I don't have any other choice, it's the only way for me to have a slight chance of saving Natsu. And after having him save me so many times, I owe him. He doesn't think I do, but I do. I think that I have to do this, and therefore I'm going to, even if it's my last act. Even if I fail to get the antidote back to him because I get killed by Erza, I have to make sure that she goes down with me so that Natsu will automatically be the victor. Then a hovercraft is going to arrive and get him out of here, back to the capitol where they'll have loads of the antidote to nurse their victor back to health.
Yeah, that sounds like a good, foolproof plan.
The only problem is: How am I going to leave the valley in the middle of the day without Natsu noticing?
I could say that I'm going out to get some food or water as our supplies are constantly running low, but there's a slim chance of him letting me go on my own and even if I manage to, he'll be worried about me not coming back after half an hour tops and certainly head out to look for me, which is the opposite of what I want to happen. No, I'll have to find another way that might require a little more violence…
My fingers curl around the few magic coins that still remain tucked away in the pocket of my skirt as a plan begins to form itself inside of my head.
The rest of the day passes by pretty eventless. After Natsu wakes up again we go on fantasizing about what it would be like if we lived in the "other world" as we like to call it, instead of this reality. It's fun, but I think he can tell that my heart isn't completely into it because the other half of my mind is occupied with thinking about tomorrow, 12 PM. Which spirits should I summon, which attacks should I use? I know that I don't stand a chance against Erza in terms of physical and magical strength, but I have the power of desperation on my side, so I'm not going to go down without putting up a fight.
That evening, when the sun is starting to set and paints the sky in a sea of rose gold a sudden rush of panic overwhelms me. What if this is the last time I'll see a sky like this?
Natsu notices my fear and wordlessly grabs my hand, sending waves of his unnatural body heat over to me and looking at him, I know what I'm doing this for.
Feeling reassured, I go to sleep and spend the night carelessly enjoying the "other world" without thinking about what awaits me tomorrow.
The hours before noon stretch like bubble gum and when the sun is finally getting close to reaching its highest point which is the only way of telling time in the arena I wander off to a quiet corner, leaving the oblivious Natsu dozing in the sun light.
Using one of my last magic coins, I summon Virgo and the maid appears before me within seconds, asking me whether it's punishment time. "Not quite" I mutter under my breath "I need you to make sure that Natsu doesn't leave this valley to come after me"
"I could chain him to a rock, that would keep him in his place"
"I was thinking of something a little less…dramatic, but do what you have to do in order to get the job done." Virgo gives me a quick nod and heads into Natsu's direction, who still doesn't have a clue about what's coming for him.
Having packed all of the weapons I could find, I determinately walk towards the crack in the rock formation, trying to ignore Natsu's screams of protest, him calling my name for help and then, silence.
I try to keep my breath steady, inhale, exhale, go.
To my surprise, I know exactly how to get to the Cornucopia, my feet carrying me there automatically, through the forest, through the tunnel connecting it to the maze until I reach the golden horn placed on a platform with stairs leading to it from every side.
The location of the Cornucopia is a grave disadvantage for me, as there's only one escape route and little opportunities to hide. So I'm going for the strategy of distraction, insert a magic coin and summon Gemini. A perfect doppelgänger of myself appears in front of me and I quickly let her in on my plan. Then we head of towards the cornucopia walking side by side.
Just as we're about to reach the foot of the stairs, I see several silver objects cutting through the air, aimed directly at me and Gemini. The spirit's warning "Watch out!" makes me throw myself flat on the ground and I'm glad that I did because where I was standing, four blades have now pierced the empty space.
So, Erza has spotted us. Let the games begin.
Gemini and I give each other a slight nod and head off into different directions. As Gemini can imitate my magical power, she opens the gate of Sagittarius who deflects the swords aimed at us with his arrows while I summon Loki who protects me bravely as I head up the stairs.
Having three gates open at the same time is immensely exhausting to me, but I manage to keep myself together.
As I reach the platform of the Cornucopia I notice a small silver tablet placed on a table right in the middle of the entrance of the golden horn. A crystal glass flacon filled with a jet black, shimmering, thick liquid is placed on the tablet. Even though it looks more like a perfume, I know immediately that this must be the antidote I came here for. It's so close, I could reach it within ten seconds, but just as I'm about to make a run for it, a figure rises into the air behind the Cornucopia.
A figure dressed in impressive armor, with angel wings made out of swords. Erza Scarlet.
She looks at me, Gemini and my other spirits with a grim, stern expression and without saying a single words she sends a dozen of swords flying at us with a flick of her hand.
Loki manages to block most of the blades but one of them pierces through and brushes my left arm, making blood trickle down my body.
Sagittarius sends a bunch of arrows towards her but she changes her armor to some wide pants that allow her to move quickly and is now equipped with a double katana with which she chops off the tips of all the arrows with a clean slice and therefore renders them harmless.
Despite being awfully terrified, I can't help but admire her magic, which she has perfected to an extent I've never seen before.
Erza requips her armor within seconds and jumps through the air from one side of the Cornucopia to another, so that she's taking on all of my three spirits at once while giving them a harder time than I like to admit. As soon as she's figured out that Gemini is just a doppelgänger and not the real deal, she loses interest in Sagittarius and Gemini and fully concentrates on Loki and me.
Her quickly changing attacks make it hard even for my close combat expert to fight her as he gets hit with lightening, fire, and suddenly a simple, good old sword all within a matter of seconds.
I send Gemini and Sagittarius back to the spirit world and summon Taurus, but even his immense strength and massive axe are no match for Erza's swords that are just getting bigger and bigger with time.
My body is getting tired, bruised and bleeding from the wounds Erza managed to inflict on me and I'm out of breath, not able to concentrate as I blindly try to protect myself from her intense attacks. I wasn't prepared for this. What did I think? That I could just challenge her skills she has practiced ever since she could properly stand? I'm not even close to being on her level, she's in an entirely different class.
Feeling my magical power slowly fade I reach into my pocket to grab another magical coin only to notice that I only have a single one left. Seeing how exhausted Loki and Taurus look, I send them back to the spirit world in spite of their massive protest.
This is my fight now. I have to do this on my own.
I try to reach the antidote by sidestepping her attacks but she just keeps sending them at me until one sword strikes in my lower right hip. I scream out in agony as the blade digs into my flesh and crumple to the ground pressing my hands on the wound to keep the blood from spilling.
Erza pulls the sword out casually and puts one of her feet on my stomach before kneeling down, pinning me to the floor. She brutally brings my hands up above my head, so that I'm completely exposed, unable to move as she hovers above me. She always keeps a cold blade pressed against my neck and I know that a slight movement would be enough to kill me.
"I'm not going to play games with you, district 8 girl. Because unlike some other sick people that walked the arena, I am not doing this for fun. But I also don't feel the need to have to explain my actions, nor do I feel any sort of regret. I would let you live under other circumstances, for I can tell that you have a brave heart, but not now. We are too close to the end. I do what I have to do. Your death will be an honorable one."
As I squeeze my eyes shut, bracing myself for the impact, I hear a loud rumbling noise. Erza seems to have heard it as well, as she has momentarily taken her eyes off me, looking around in bewilderment.
I know that this is the only chance I'll ever get, so I twist out of her harsh grip and claw at her eyes with my bare hands, leaving a vicious slice.
She quickly regains her composure though and has me cornered in next to no time, but I managed to get hold of a short blade now and unlike her, I fight dirty.
It's not exactly elegant, but I don't have the luxury of being noble. And so I bite, scratch, pull and kick everything I can grab while trying to sidestep her strong and clean sword strikes. She manages to get me a couple of times, but the pain is weirdly dull and only makes me move faster.
While we continue our deadly dance the rumbling continues, but neither of us can spare a side glance without the consequences being fatal. It is only when my feet are suddenly getting wet that I notice that the arena is being flooded at an alarmingly fast pace. Huge masses of dark blue liquid are bursting towards us out of the maze's different exits. The water has already reached the level of the platform and it is only a matter of time before we won't be able to stand anymore.
As Erza realizes this as well, she further increases her attack frequency, kicks me in the stomach which knocks the air out of my lungs as I sink to the ground, the water almost completely covering me.
I see her lifting her massive sword, preparing for the final blow when a realization hits me.
Water. I am surrounded by water. With trembling hands I insert my very last magic coin and open the gate of Aquarius, the water bearer.
She appears immediately and directs a strong flush of water directly at Erza, who wasn't prepared for this and loses her balance, joining me on the wet and now completely flooded ground.
I use this momentary confusion to dive for the flask that contains the antidote and tuck it away in my pocket.
I got it, I got it! The victorious joy is dimmed by the fact that my only escape route is now completely under water. I should be able to pass it with Aquarius' help but that means that I'll have to leave before I run out of magical power for good, I have to hurry.
But just as I'm about to dive into the cold water to leave this place behind, something, or rather someone, grabs my leg and knocks me off my feet so that I slip and fall onto the wet stone floor face forward.
I grid my teeth and turn around to see Erza, her wet scarlet hair plastered to her face holding on tight to my leg, pulling me towards her and equipping a simple fabric armor that comes with a thin, long sword.
"Not so fast, district 8" she whispers while trying to keep her head above the water. I try kicking at her, twisting and tugging, but her iron grip won't let go. Then I feel Aquarius beside me, directing a strong wave towards the career that makes her head go under water. The water level has risen so far that I'm now completely surrounded by the cold liquid as well, but unlike Erza I am still able to breathe because of my spirit's help.
Meanwhile, the career is desperately trying to reach the surface to get some air but we're still entangled with each other and this time, it's me who's not letting her go. As she's not able to breathe and I am, I have the advantage of time on my side, I just have to wait long enough and keep her from reaching the surface.
She's frantically trying to break free by kicking, biting, slashing at me but no matter how hard she hits me, my hands keep being wrapped around her neck, pressing down. Gurgling noises escape her mouth and I see air bubbles rising to the surface but I still don't let go.
Even as her kicking gets weaker and her expression changes from a pained to a peaceful one, I keep my fingers in place. It is only when I hear the sound of a canon going off that I let go of her white neck, her body in the dark water in front of me. Her red hair is floating around her face, strings of scarlet covering her empty eyes. Her pale, blue lips are slightly opened, the ghost of her last words still on them. It is only now that I notice a deep wound that seems to have been infected on her right thigh. All of her previous armors had covered that spot, concealing her injury from me. She was badly wounded and still so strong. But now all of that strength has left her and she's just an empty shell covered in dark blue bruises around her neck, bruises that I inflicted when I choked her to death.
I look at my own hands, a pale blue in the weak light under water, hands that belong to a killer. I start feeling sick, and my salty tears add to the masses of water surrounding me, immediately washed away.
"We have to leave Lucy" says Aquarius who has appeared next to me in an untypically gentle tone "You're going to run out of magic power soon. I can force the gate open, but not for long."
I nod absently and feel her strength rush through me as she takes my hand and drags me through the water, towards the tunnel connecting the Cornucopia to the rest of the arena.
The main arena hasn't been completely flooded yet so that I'm still able to stand and breathe regularly. Aquarius has to leave me and disappears into a glistening light and I am left behind, wet to the bone, miserable and broken.
The water just keeps coming out of nowhere, as if some sick game maker wanted to turn the arena into a gigantic bubble bath.
And suddenly, surrounded by this deserted, grey and cold arena, I feel like the last human on earth. It is impossible for me to imagine all those capitol families, comfortably seated in front of their TV screens in their warm apartments, watching me.
I feel like it was just me and the water. But then I remembered that it wasn't. The games aren't over just yet. There still is someone, someone I have done all of this for. And I remember that this someone is currently chained to a heavy rock because I didn't want him to follow me. This someone is slowly going to drown in the rising water, unable to move to higher grounds.
No. I can't let this happen. Not now. Not after all of this.
I start half running towards the hidden valley, wading through the water, my body aching terribly from where Erza stabbed me. My hands are pressing down hard on my wound, trying to stop the blood loss, but it can't be helped and so I leave a trace of red in the water that is now reaching up to my knees.
And still the water keeps flowing, making me even slower than I would normally be and the sound of the water once so soothing to my soul is now making my ears ring and I grid my teeth, hard, as if that will make anything better.
But I have to keep going, have to keep placing one foot in front of the other one, because Natsu's life depends on it and I can't let him down.
Once I reach the rocks covered in beautiful, blooming and fiery dragon flowers, the water already goes up to my elbows and I squeeze myself against the wet, hard rock as I try to pass through the crack in the mountain. Advancing only goes painfully slowly and for a moment I think that I'm going to be stuck in the middle of those rocks, between the arena and the valley, forever.
By now, I have to stand on my tiptoes in order for me to still be able to breathe and after what feels like an eternity, I finally arrive in the valley.
And not a second too soon. Natsu is indeed, still chained to a massive stone rock, pulling at those magic-resistant handcuffs with all of his strength, as he's trying to keep his neck above the water. He's cursing, using words I never even heard before as I half walk,half swim over to him.
Upon seeing me, his eyes widen in horror: "Lucy, what the hell happened to you? Where have you been? Are you okay?"
I can't help but smile at this idiot. There he is, chained to a rock, about to drown and still he goes on asking me whether I am okay? Iconic.
I just shrug off his question with a dismissive gesture: "Later. First, let's get you out of here. Do you have any magic coins left?"
He nods "In my pocket. I would get them myself but…" he lifts his cuffed hands with a slightly accusing undertone.
"Got it. I'll be back in a second" I say, take a deep breath and dive under water. It's hard to see in the dark water but as I get closer, preventing myself from floating away by holding onto the massive rock, I manage to slip my fingers in his pocket and grab a roll of magic coins.
Emerging from the water I realize with shock that Natsu's mouth is already covered by the water, so I hastily insert a magic coin with trembling fingers, summon Virgo and yell at her impatiently to take away those damned hand cuffs I knew wouldn't be a good idea in the first place. I know that I'm being unfair to her, but I'm too stressed to care. I dismiss her with a quickly muttered "Thanks" and haul Natsu up to the surface. He is only half conscious and coughs heavily but manages to hold onto my shoulders after I tell him to do so.
With some pathetic breast strokes that would have my former swimming teacher shake his head in disapproval, I swim towards the rocks, Natsu clutching onto me. As I reach a part of the rock formation that hasn't been flooded yet, I drag him out of the water, on the cold stone and collapse right away. We're both gasping for air, coughing up the water from our lungs.
Despite everything, I begin to laugh. Here we are, at the top of the rocks that have protected us for so long surrounded by the dragon flowers that look like tiny flames. As the shock begins to fade, I fathom the situation. We are the only two tributes left. We are the last survivors.
"Now" Natsu gurgles in between coughs that I feel like aren't caused by the water at all "What the hell happened Lucy? I heard a canon go off and I thought…well…"
"I went to the Cornucopia to face Erza and get an antidote for your poison. I got the antidote. Erza is dead. I killed her."
"You did what?" he asks, his jaw dropping "Do you even know how incredibly stupid and dangerous that was? You're lucky I'm so weak right now or I'd kill you"
"Please go ahead" I say, without a single trace of humor in my voice "That would make things a lot easier"
At that, Natsu visibly winces in pain and looks at me with those big, black eyes. "Lucy…" is all he's able to say before he starts coughing violently again, spitting out blood and curling into a ball of misery next to me.
I lean over him, trying to support his weight "It's the poison, it's getting worse! Let me give you the antidote."
He shakes his head determinedly: "No, I'm not going to take the antidote. Let the poison do its work and kill me and then you'll be the victor. Please just let me do this one last thing."
Even though his voice is practically begging me I decline. "That's out of the question. I didn't do all of this, I didn't…I didn't kill someone just for you to say oh no thanks Lucy I appreciate it but I'd rather die. Don't be a stupid little brat. Let me give you the…"
My hands slide into my pocket to grab the flask only to find them to be empty. I check the other pocket. Empty as well. I check my entire body, inside of my shoe, behind my hair, but the antidote is nowhere to be found. It must've slipped out during my fight with Erza.
It's gone. I did all of this for nothing. This was a complete waste. I couldn't even save the single live I promised to save. I couldn't even make my own death meaningful. This is the final thing to make my mental carefully built and yet so unstable card house collapse upon itself.
I let out a hurl so deep and so loud and all my inner dams break and I get flooded just the way the arena did, sobs shaking my entire body. I put my hands in front of my face and cry, cry like I've never cried before, let everything out, all the misery that has accumulated itself in the course of those twisted games. My vision blacks out and I'm alone in the dark, everything is spinning, spiraling into an eternal abyss until I feel a gentle heat wrap around me, stroking my hair and whispering things I first fail to understand.
Natsu has taken me into his arms, his body giving off a warm glow, telling me it's okay and that I'm going to be fine and that I'm going to go home to my family very soon.
"It's better this way", he says as he pulls me closer, his heat slowly starting to warm and ease my trembling body as well "I wouldn't have had it in me to kill you, I couldn't have done it. I knew it from that time we talked on the balcony, remember that? I knew that no matter what, I wouldn't be able to harm you. I wouldn't want to be a victor if that meant you were dead."
"But don't you get it?" I sob, hammering my fist against his chest weakly "I feel the same way. I can't let you die and go on living my life. I don't have a life anymore. It was taken from me the moment my name got drawn. And you sacrificing yourself won't give me my life back. You can't save me Natsu, you can't and I won't let you!"
"That's too bad, because this self-sacrificing is kind of what I do. It's what I did at the reaping and it's what I planned to do now. But" he sighs heavily "I guess that I have to respect your decision right?"
I nod weakly, breathing into his shoulder as we lay there, surrounded by the tiny fires of the dragon flower on the tip of a mountain amidst the rising water.
"And what do we do now?" I whisper quietly, barely daring to ask the question aloud, too scared to hear the answer.
"Well it's as you said, we both don't have a life anymore anyways, right? No matter what happens. But I know a place where we do have a life. A place where we can be happy and free and together."
I look up slightly, to meet his eyes. "You mean the "other world"?"
"Yes. I thought a lot about what you said earlier and I just have to believe that it's true. That this world really exists. We'd just have to fall asleep to get there, right?"
"And never wake up." I add.
"Yes."
"But what if it isn't true after all?"
"Then we'll still know that somewhere, somehow, there's a world in which a Lucy and a Natsu exist and they're living together happily. That's already enough for me"
I nod, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, coming to a final decision. "Okay, let's do it."
"Okay"
He wraps his arms around me a little tighter and suddenly a warm fire is enveloping us. The golden flames are dancing around me, licking at my skin, but they're not painful at all. Sparks of orange, red and gold are all that I can see, except for Natsu lying beside me, grabbing my hand reassuringly, telling me that everything's going to be okay. And this time, I believe him.
As those special flames are starting to burn me away, making me dissolve into pale light, I can see the outside world melting away. The last thing I hear is some panicky voice broadcasted through the arena, telling us to stop, before the arena disappears and everything goes blank. The only thing left is the glistening light and Natsu beside me, our bodies wrapped together closely, molded by the fire. I can see all the different worlds, Lucia and Dragneel, Lucy and Natsu from the "other world" and Natsu and Lucy, the tributes in the hunger games, merging into one in this celestial fire as we join the stars in the eternal sky. At that moment, I am completely at ease, all negativity has been burned away and I am finally at peace.
Natsu's hand gives me one last little squeeze as he whispers: "See you on the other side, Luce"
And then, my world fades away, nothing left but the bright flames of the catching fire.
-The End-
Auhtor's Note: I just want to thank you guys for sticking with me and this story for so long, leaving lovely and motivating reviews and always patiently waiting for the next chapter even though I was being such an irregular and unreliable uploader. This is the first time for me to write such a long story and I feel like this project has helped me so much. Now that I've managed to complete a story of this length, I feel ready to take on a new project and who knows maybe one day you'll read something else written by me. Until then, I wish you all the best and hope that you enjoyed reading this fanfiction. Feel free to let me know about your final thoughts, read you soon!
Author: This is it guys! It's a wrap, great work everybody! We're done!
Lucy: Natsu…, are you okay? Are you…,are you tearing up?
Natsu: What? No, of course not. I just have something caught in my eye *sobs*
Lucy: Yeah sure boy, you can't fool me with your tough act! You're actually sad.
Natsu: Well it's just that I expected a happy end, that's all. Didn't think that the author would be such a sick sadist…
Author: Excuse me, if you had actually read the script like you were supposed to then it wouldn't have been a surprise to you.
Natsu: Yeah well it still sucks. I don't like sad endings.
Author: Well I do…I like to make people cry muhahhahaha *coughs* I mean, of course I feel very sorry about emotionally damaging my audience but it's just my preferred way of artistically expressing myself.
Natsu: Yeah sure.
Author: Anyways, even though it hasn't always been easy, I'm really glad I got to work on this project with all of you, it's been a great experience!
Natsu and Lucy: Aaaaaaw Author, you're gonna make us cry.
Natsu, Lucy, Author, rest of the staff: All cry together