No Regrets

Raven: I don't really know if this is an appropriate title for this, but I don't care… hehe. This idea came to me when I was mourning over my cousin's death anniversary… I don't know how, but I got it. Also, I think this kind of story is common, so please bear with it…

Plus, I promised to make it up to the readers of: FORGET ME NOT for the long, very long time of not updating… sorry!

Disclaimer: I don't own FT or any of its characters… Although it would be sweet if I did~

The rusty prison gates that housed the most dangerous criminals, mages, and monsters alike made a whining sound as it was pushed open by one of the prison guards; behind him, stood one of the most powerful wizards in all of Fiore. But right now, as Natsu Dragneel stood there staring at the dark stone floor of the prison, he looked as vulnerable as a young child. The fire dragonslayer remained still, afraid to move a muscle as fear and hesitation ate at his nerves, his chest growing heavier by the minute.

The royal guard began stalking off towards the cell not noticing the frozen figure behind him. He began prattling about how the prison would never allow anyone to escape since it was surrounded by the proud royal guards and secured with the strongest magical defense. He turned around to smile at the younger man, but panicked when he found that Natsu wasn't there. He looked frantically around and sighed in relief when he saw the pink haired man at the entrance.

"Sir? Uhmmm…" The guard tried to catch Natsu's attention. The latter looked up, a little bit vacant minded from being called out of his thoughts.

"Not to be rude but… are you going in or not?" The older man asked a small understanding smile plastered across his face. He knew of the reason the younger male spaced out and froze up. It was all around Fiore and the trending topic of discussion inside the Prison. Natsu cleared his throat and moved forward. He had gone through hell just to get here and he wasn't going to chicken out now… not when she was just a matter of steps away from him.

"I'm going…" He muttered, walking towards the guard. The elder man nodded and proceeded forward. They went past heavily guarded chambers, empty prison cells, and the common prisoner grab visitor scenario. Natsu shuddered at the thought of her locked up in here; in this cold, dark, smelly underground prison.

As they approached the thick iron door surrounded by three strong looking mages at the end of the floor, he slowed, his heart beating erratically and his chest was tightening so painfully slow that he was having a hard time breathing. Natsu paused to a stop… an arm's length away from the door. He clutched the end of his vest and tried to calm himself down.

"Natsu Dragneel of the Fairy Tail guild has been given permission by the magic council to proceed. He is free to interact with the prisoner for any length of time and will be given strict privacy. Our current orders now are to remain out of the 7 meter distance from the gates and prepare ourselves for any sign of escaping." The old guard said superiorly over the three wizards stationed around the door. They nodded and began unlocking the entrance while Natsu was still in his trance like state.

Minutes later, the iron door was open and waiting. The guards left him alone and proceeded towards the ordered distance from the gates. Natsu shook himself off any fear and doubt he had and took the last few steps slowly; telling himself that everything behind the door was alright. That she was back to normal. He breathed out heavily and closed the distance between himself and the cell gates.

Natsu sighed again and grasped the cold iron bar. He urged himself to look up and this took a full 3 minutes before he finally did.

Lucy Heartfilia sat cross legged on top of the futon laid on the cold stone floor. The three torches on the center of the three walls did nothing to help him see her better. Lucy faced him, her hands on both her thighs looking so relaxed and innocent that anyone who didn't know what she did would think that she was a precious little angel. Natsu sighed, petty jealousy filling his heart. How come she was so calm and collected while he was not? Wasn't she afraid of what might happen on the next day?

The blond however, had different thoughts. She could, if she wanted, have broken out of this prison and fled the Kingdom. But she didn't. Lucy was here on her own accord. She knew of her crimes, or shall she reword, of the crimes the one who possessed her did. She had attacked the guild, killed ¼ of Magnolia's people, threatened the Magic Council, actually killed two of the council members, massacred a whole village, and attacked the King of Fiore.

Lucy knew that she wasn't supposed to be the one locked up and possibly killed, but she felt like she deserved it. If only she was strong enough, then those awful things would never have happened. She was ready to take on any punishment they threw at her. Death even seemed like a small price to pay for the crimes her possessed self did.

She sat in an aura of tranquility and acceptance, a small satisfied smile on her pale lips. It was the softest and most heart breaking expression Natsu ever saw on her and he was terrified of it. Despite the cold harsh surroundings, she looked like she was actually enjoying her predicament.

Seconds ticked by; Natsu remained silent and unmoving in his position as he stared at the peaceful image of Lucy in front of him. He just couldn't bring himself to disturb her perfect silence and he actually feared what would happen when he did. He knew of how strong Lucy was, how terrifying she can be, and how heartless she has turned into. Nobody actually knew that she was possessed that time… not even him.

"You gonna stand there all day staring? Or are you gonna piss of and leave me alone?" Lucy growled her eyes still closed. But deep within her, she wanted to just rush up to him and hold the pink haired dragonslayer tight against herself. That could never happen even if she gave in though… because of the set of iron bars that separated the free from the bound.

Natsu took a shocked step back, staring at Lucy. He shook his surprise off and took a deep breath of the stale air. "I wanted to see you… needed to see you actually…"

Lucy smirked in response, nothing else of a reaction coming from her. She remained still and unwavering, trying her hardest not to smile at him. She needed to keep her resolve intact or else she'd never forgive herself.

Natsu remained silent, waiting for her to answer him. Yet he got nothing of the sort. She remained cold and harsh towards him, ignoring his presence. Natsu started to feel the same hard and painful thing clench at his heart. Had Lucy really turned into the hard empty shell of what she once was before? Did she really not feel anything more towards him? Has she lost her heart to darkness completely?

"L-Lucy…" He mumbled, grasping another iron bar with his other hand. The girl snapped her eyes open, revealing dull brown eyes… such a cold transition from her once warm chocolate orbs. "I – please… no more…" Natsu spoke softly, unable to finish his sentence correctly. Tears began brimming at the edge of his eyes, pain and anger obvious in his onyx eyes. He thought that he couldn't shed any more tears for this girl, but he was wrong. He was scared of losing her despite what she did.

He shut his eyes tightly and leaned his head onto the iron bar in front of him. Natsu gritted his teeth, the pain of her change and the anger of him not being able to do anything to help her gnawing at his already broken heart.

"Luce… please talk to me… tell me that you're back to your normal self… I need to know that I still…" His voice broke and a lone tear ran down his left cheek. "That I still have a place in your heart… that you still care…" He whispered the last part, fresh tears now cascading freely down his flushed cheeks.

Lucy clenched her teeth, her hands balling into tight fists. The peaceful aura enveloped around her shattered and an atmosphere of indifference took its place.

"You never had a place in my heart and I never cared to begin with."

Natsu's eyes widened in hurt, a sob escaping his trembling mouth… he leaned onto the iron bars heavily, trying to remain on his two feet. What else can he do? Lucy obviously didn't care about him anymore. She admitted to never have cared at all. She had only acted to make use of Fairy Tail. She didn't even think about who she trampled on, who she damaged… or whose heart she broke…

"Why?" He hissed, wiping the hot tears from his cheeks. "Why'd you change? Or have you been acting all the while? Can't you see how much we care? Aren't you even worried of what might happen to you tomorrow? If they decide to…" He stopped, afraid of saying such words… terrified of it happening. He sank on his knees, gripping his trousers so tight that it almost ripped.

"If they decide to kill you tomorrow, I'd never be able to forgive myself if I don't get to see and know if you still have a piece of humanity left in you! How will I return to Fairy Tail with this failure draped around my shoulders? How can I face Igneel if I couldn't even have saved the person I've given my heart to! How can I live with myself knowing that you're gone?" Even if he had a lot of other things to say, he couldn't for a series of sobs overtook him and rendered him speechless. He didn't care if Lucy saw him as a weak, cry-baby… she never did care anyway… and it hurt him more…

And then a warm hand cupped his cheek as slender fingers ran through his disheveled pink hair.

He opened his eyes to meet Lucy's broken gaze, her eyes threatening to spew tears of their own from Natsu's little speech. The blond sat on her knees in front of him, her right hand cupping his cheek as the left rested on the base of his neck. She stared at him with such pain and gentleness, caressed his hair with such tender touches that it shattered the remaining broken pieces of his heart.

Natsu tried to repress his crying and the unstoppable tears but he just couldn't. Slowly, he raised a hand of his own and placed it on top of the hand Lucy had on his cheek. He saw her eyes cloud and knew that she felt it just as hard as he did… maybe even worse.

"Natsu… dry your tears… I don't deserve them. Whatever happens tomorrow, it was never your fault and it never had anything to do with you." Lucy's voice was so soft and kind… a soft caress on the pulverized pieces of his heart.

"You are a great man… and you will reach greater heights even when I'm gone… Don't let me keep you from living as you would have, had I not done those crimes… Igneel will never berate you for this, I deserve whatever punishment they lay before me; I understand the consequences of my deeds and accept it thoroughly with no qualms."

Natsu's eyes widened, his hand gripping her own. He didn't like what she just said even if he didn't understand a thing of it. It felt like she was saying goodbye to him, that she was ready to die… die and leave him all alone. Anger suddenly coursed through his veins.

"Idiot! For the love of God, Lucy! You're part of my life! You're part of my world! Just stop spouting those nonsense things and think about the people who've come to love you! Why can't you see that Fairy Tail still cares about you?"

"It's better this way," Lucy said. Her voice was filled with so much sadness that it threatened to macerate the already pulverized bits of his shattered heart.

"No it's not!" Natsu exclaimed, reaching through the bars and grasping Lucy's shoulders. "You think you have nothing left to live for?"

"Natsu," Lucy whispered under her breath, but Natsu caught this.

"You think you're a monster that doesn't deserve to live?" Natsu was about to continue when he saw the tears that now ran down her pale ivory cheeks.

"Natsu, please… please don't… don't," He smiled sadly at her and cupped her cheeks, wiping her tears away.

"You're my partner, my best friend, my other half. Understand?" Uncontrollable cobs escaped Lucy as she looked at him.

"Why are you doing this to me Natsu!" She hissed between clenched teeth. "Why are you saying all this things to me when I'm certainly going to die tomorrow? I was alright with death until you came! I had accepted it! Why give me false hope! Why give me a reason to want more now?"

Natsu took her hand and placed it over his chest. Lucy felt the sharp beating of his heart under her palm and his ragged breathing.

"My heart beats only because yours does… Die and I die with you… now, it wants to ask," Natsu whispered, resting his forehead on hers. "Do you want to forget everything and live?"

Lucy shut her eyes. Thinking back to the earlier hours of the day, she would have gladly refused. Her resolve then was so strong that she thought nothing could have destroyed it. But looking at Natsu now, she knew she wanted to live… for him. She released a shaky breath and nodded.

"Say it Lucy," urged Natsu. "You have to"

Lucy's lips trembled, her shoulder's shaking. What was the use anyway? Whatever she did, she'd still die… This bastard just had to come here and make her want to live.

"I want to…" She hesitated and glanced at Natsu's onyx eyes. He nodded at her encouragingly and smiled. "I want to forget everything and live."

Natsu raised his brows. "Pardon?" He turned his head to her mouth and brought it closer. "I didn't hear you quite clearly."

Lucy gritted her teeth and glared at Natsu. "I said I want to forget everything! I want to live! Damn you, you idiot!" She snapped, her voice ringing in the small space. Natsu felt the truth of her voice, the sincerity of her words.

He stared at her for a moment before letting go of her cheeks and whistling a loud single tune with his fingers in his mouth. The blond-haired mage watched in confusion as three mages and a guard appeared moments later.

"What's happening?" She asked, as they began unlocking the chains that held the iron bars together. Natsu stepped into the chamber, watching the men do their work.

"Natsu? What's going on?" Lucy watched in confusion as the guard picked out a key from his key ring and unlocked the cell door.

"We will await you outside." The guard bowed his head and led the three mages out of the chamber. Lucy still had on a confused face as Natsu stood and pushed the iron bars. She stared up at Natsu's grinning, tear-streaked face in disbelief and awe.

"Wh-what are you doing? Why did they unlock my cell?" She asked. "What's going on?"

Natsu knelt on his right knee and cupped her cheeks for the second time that day. He leaned forward, stopping just inches away from her face.

"The magic council already decided, Lucy." He whispered tenderness and sincerity obvious in his onyx gaze. Natsu caressed her cheeks with his thumb and rested his forehead on hers. "They rendered you innocent of all crimes. You're free, Luce… oh, with a few exceptions."

Lucy stared at him in bewilderment. "What? How? What kind of exceptions?"

"You will be watched, stay under heavy surveillance for a whole year or maybe more… and you had to want to live." Natsu grinned, leaning in closer.

"Not just want to live, you had to really desire life. The guild and I have been begging the council and the King for three straight days so that I could be the one who came down here to ask you."

"Three days? The entire guild? Why?"

"Because we were sure… I was sure that I was the only one who could get you to say it. I told you, they love you almost as much as I do. But that's almost…"

Lucy watched the floor then. Natsu smiled at this and ran his hands down her shoulders and down her back, wrapping them securely on her waist. Lucy tensed, but after a few moments of hesitation, she moved her arms to wrap them around the dragonslayer's neck.

They remained there for several minutes, reveling in the warmth in each other's presence. Natsu rested his chin on Lucy's head and kissed her hair softly.

"Wait, why did they say I was innocent?" Lucy raised her head and looked at Natsu. He shrugged and pulled her in closer that she was in between his knees and smashed against his warm chest.

"After you attacked and got captured, we found your keys hidden under your bed and it was almost as if they were bound. Levy somehow got them free, and Loke told us everything."

Lucy's eyes widened, realizing that she forgot about her keys. She nodded her head and relaxed a bit. Natsu then whispered against her ear…

"No regrets?"

Lucy nodded slowly. "No regrets." She smiled at him. Natsu couldn't help himself when he saw her smile and just leaned in for a kiss. Lucy didn't expect such a thing to happen but when his warm and soft lips tenderly pressed hers, she wouldn't have refused anyway.

It was a chaste kiss that lasted for a minute before they heard crashing outside the chamber. Both tried to ignore it, until a blue fur ball came zooming inside.

"Ah! Lucy's eating Natsu! Erza! Gray! Hurry!" The cat screamed in horror. Lucy and Natsu froze in place, their heads slowly turning to glare menacingly at Happy.

"Happy~" Both murmured evilly, shadows covering their eyes and furious blushes on their cheeks. Happy took a terrified step backwards, bumping into Erza and Gray who just ran inside the room.

The two mages glanced down at the shaking cat and back at the two people sitting on the ground in front of them.

"Who's eating who?" Gray asked, unconsciously stripping off his shirt. Erza noticed Natsu and Lucy's close proximity, their blushing faces and realized what Happy meant by: Lucy eating Natsu…

"I'm so sorry! I apologize for interrupting! We will leave you now!" She bowed hastily, dragging Happy and Gray out of the room.

"But Erza! Natsu's gonna die! Lucy's gonna eat him!" The cat yelled the fear of losing his best friend evident in his tone.

"What's going on?" The ice make mage yelled, getting choked from Erza's tight grip on his neck. When they were out of ear shot, Natsu and Lucy glanced at each other and burst into laughter.

Moments later, a comfortable silence enveloped them as Natsu buried his face in Lucy's neck and inhaled the soft, homey smell that reminded him of the missions they took and him invading her bed.

"Everything's fine now Lucy… I'm never going to let anything like that happen again… I'll always be by your side… I promise…"

Lucy closed her eyes, her heart fluttering into a comfortable rhythm of peacefulness as she leaned onto the man's warm embrace.

"I know Natsu… I know."

Raven: Wee~ I hope you guys liked it… it's my first one-shot! Also, I didn't re-read this one, so if there are any corrections, sorry. Any questions?

Do you guys want me to make it into a full story? Just leave a review! Oh, and thanks for the read!