Sorry, sorry sorry! I know this is later than usual but I didn't know what to write! Sorry!

I hope you like the chapter, it took me long enough :D Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail (It's magic is credit to the amazing Hiro Mashima), only the my ideas and love for the show.

Chapter 19
A Change of Atmosphere

Lucy P.O.V

We leave early in the morning; before the sun has even risen. I can hear Natsu complaining behind me, from his place at the back of the group. I put as much distance as I can between us. After what happened by the lake -well what almost happened- I'm having a hard time keeping my mind in check when he's around. We could have kissed and what would that have meant? I really have no clue.

I stumble along behind Kai and Adan, who playfully fight in front of me. I smile at them, as they laugh and joke, pushing each other and swatting at each other's heads. It reminds me of when I was younger and-

I stop my thoughts, not wanting to think of my childhood. When everything was simpler and my friend's weren't gone. Now that I think about it, I had lost people before. Mother wasn't the first. The boy with the dark hair and the boy with the blonde hair. They didn't exactly leave, but they changed and I didn't like what I saw when they did.

I shake my head, clearing it of those thoughts, and look over at the two female Guardians. Aine sends sparks flying into the cool morning air from her hands, while her sister watches with an amused smirk. Her face is so full of emotions, something that must have occurred due to her lack of voice. I bet she had a beautiful voice too; soft, sweet and innocent. It's sad to think that the other's will never hear it again.

"You okay, Princess?" Kai asks, looking back at me for a moment. I nod and he frowns, before turning back to walk beside me. "You suck at lying, you know." I sigh and nod at this.

"I know," I murmur. "I'm just worried and stuck in my memories. I'm fine though. I need to find this cure, it's what my Mother wanted." I stopped called her Mamma years ago. My Father said it was too childish, just like me calling him Papa was. A Princess wasn't allowed to be childish.

"We'll find it and then you can all go home. You can forget this place and you can get on with life," Kai says, seeming determined. "You'll save you father."

"Thank you, Kai," I say, smiling at him. If only I could believe that myself.

Layla P.O.V

Grace left a while a go, in a flash of white light and smoke. The Spirit King frowned at the space she had vacated and sighed. I felt sorry for him but there was nothing I could have done. We needed a Dragon. It's the only thing that can fight another Dragon.

I sigh and turn to the others, who all look back with mixed expressions. They know what's next. It's time for us to depart this place and move on. Our children would be fine and they don't need us anymore. We would always be in their hearts and that's where we would stay.

"It's time isn't it?" Karina whispers, staring at the pool in front of her. We gather around it and stare at our children, tears gathering in our eyes.

"Yes, I'm afraid it is," Marko says, wrapping his arm around her. Roxanne stand on her other side and grips her hand, staring down at the image of her daughter in the pool. Her face was still happy however. She almost screamed when Lisanna woke up. We all did.

"They will be fine, I think," Avery says, standing with his head on Erica's shoulder. They look so happy, it's hard for me to remember they day that Erica passed. Avery was so lost, it was horrible to see.

"They will be," I say with conviction. "They are our children after all." At this everyone laughs.

"I shall grant you passage," the booming voice of the Spirit King says. With a wave of his hand a shining light appears.

"We have to go through that?" Darren says, looking at it apprehensively.

"Man up, you baby," Jeremy laughs, punching Darren's arm. They look like kids.

"Yes, you do," the Spirit King says. "It shall not harm you."

"Okay then, I guess," Marko says. He leads Karina through first and one by one, the others follow. I am last through and I glance back at the pool, my daughters laughing face in full view.

"You'll be fine, sweetheart," I whisper, turning and walking into the light. "You have the power."

Levy P.O.V

I giggle at Lisanna as she tells me a story about Elfman. I sit on Gajeel's shoulders while she is perched on her brothers, our laughs bouncing of the trees. I run my hand's through Gajeel's hair, his warm hand's resting on my legs. It's amazingly soft, for something that looks almost mane like.

I smile at Lisanna, happy to have her back. I never thought I'd miss her laugh this much, but apparently I did. I giggle as her hands fly about her face, emphasizing her words.

"Before he knew what was happening, he had fallen," she says, giggling. Elfman simply grunts and frowns.

"It's not manly to talk about people," he says. Lisanna only laughs and pats his head.

"Oh shush," she giggles. "It's only a bit of fun. And I missed you guys." This shuts Elfman's moaning up.

We all missed her too, maybe even Gajeel. Her cheery attitude and love of life would have done us all a lot of good the last few days. We've all be too stressed. I lean forward and hug Gajeel's head, sighing.

"You okay, Shrimp?" he asks, tilting his head.

"Yeah," I say, burying my face in his hair. I feel him chuckle and smile slightly. I wish we'd got our act together quicker. I like this.

"If you say so," he laughs, reaching up and pulling me down into his arms. I yelp and giggle as he bring me to his chest, cradling me there. I lay my head on his shoulder and smile up at him, planting a soft kiss on his jaw line.

"Do you really have to?" Gray moans, somewhere to the left of us. I turn my head and stick my tongue out at him, which makes him chuckle. "Okay, okay. No need for that you big child."

I laugh and he joins in. I look at his arm, wrapped around Juvia's waist, and smile. Her head rests on his shoulder and she smiles slightly. A smile that hasn't left her face since they returned to the camp last night after she ran off crying. Another couple together at last. Just one left.

I look over at my blonde best friend and than back at the pink haired Dragneel. As far away from each other as humanly possible in our tiny group. Every now and then I see Natsu's eyes flicker towards the blonde before darting away, back to Erza who he talks to. It makes me want to hit him. This is obviously evident on my face.

"They'll be fine," Gajeel chuckles, kissing my forehead. "They're just to dense to realise how they feel. Kind of like I was." I smile at him and snuggle up to his chest, my nose pressed into his neck.

Yeah, I really should have done this sooner.

Lucy P.O.V

We stop for camp just before nightfall and Erza gives out different jobs to each person. She allocates me the job of collecting fire wood with Levy, so we head off into the forest to find suitable branches.

"Have you talked to him?" Levy asks quietly, bending down to pick up a branch and adding it to her pile. I look up at her and frown. "Natsu, I mean."

"No," I say sadly. It was hurting me not to talk to him. In such a short space of time, I'd grown so close to Natsu and to not talk to him was weird. "I don't know how. Everything is so awkward."

"You'll get there, Lu," Levy murmurs, smiling at me. "You're ment to be with him. I can feel it." I smile at the bluenette and continue picking up sticks.

"I just wish I knew how to tell him that I liked him more than just a friend," I say. Levy chuckles.

"It's not easy, let me tell you," she says, grinning. "You just have to be patient I guess." I nod, thinking.

Natsu was dense but he wasn't an idiot. He had to notice sometime. Right?

Natsu P.O.V

Lucy likes me? More than a friend? I couldn't be hearing this right. I pear around the tree I hide behind at the two girls, who laugh and talk, collecting fire wood. Happy perches on my shoulder, burrowing into the crook of my neck and emitting soft purrs. Luckily they are too low for the girls to hear. I lean my head on the rough bark and stare blindly it.

Lucy likes me? Do I like her? Yes, of course I do. More than a friend? I think about it, listing everything that attracts me to her. Her kindness, her passion, her love for her people and friends, her compassion, her voice, her eyes, her hair. Everything about her, I liked. So, yes, I do like her more than a friend. But how to prove that to her?

Yeah, I have no clue how to do that.

Grace P.O.V

I fly swiftly over the dancing sea, just of the coast of Fiore. In the direction of Drakan Island. I beat my wings rapidly as I gaze out over the ocean. The sun bounces of the crystal blue waves, dazzling me. In the distance, a tiny black dot on the horizon draws closer. Drakan Island is near.

The magical aura projecting from it is powerful, even from this far away. It's surrounds the island like an cloak; neither light nor dark, just there. I pick up a different magical signal and this causes me to frown. Zeref was there, along with with children. And my brother.

It was up to me to stop Ace, even if he didn't want to be stopped. I would make him see reason. I'm dead but that doesn't mean I can't stop him. Magic works in funny ways in the spirit realm.

I speed up. I have to save them. Layla wanted me to.

Kairav P.O.V

"Here, drink this," I say to Lucy. I wave my hand casually at the pail of water to my left and a small jet of water rises from it, streaming over to land in Lucy's cup. She smiles gratefully and downs it in one go. "You've been walking for a while, you need to drink."

"Stop showing off, Kai," Aine says, as she saunters past, adding more sparks to the fire. It rises high as she sit beside it, her toes nearly in the flames. No one reacts to this. They've all got used to our weird love for the elements. Especially hers.

"Say's you," Adan chuckles, from behind her. He sits with his back to a tree, leaning his head back and smirking at her. Aine looks up from the flame she is playing with, which slither up her arms, and grins at him.

"Fine then," she laughs, flicking the flames back to the fire. She stand up and skips over to him, collapsing at his side. "You're such a meany."

"Oh be quiet, you little imp," Adan laughs, ruffling her hair. She yelps and laughs. I smile at the two. They are as bad as the Princess and the Dragneel boy.

A cool breeze blows through the clearing and we all look up to the sky. Anila hovers there, arm raised slightly as her side and her eyes closed. She shifts slightly, moving with the wind. I gaze up at her in awe. When she's like this, nothing can compare to her beauty. Nothing in the world.

"You're drooling, brother," Adan snorts. I tear my gaze from Ani, and glare at him. This only makes him laugh a little louder and Aine giggles at his side.

"A man admit's his feeling," the white hair man -Elfman, I think- states, chucking a twig into the fire.

"Then will you tell Evergreen how you feel, my dear brother," Lisanna says sweetly. Elfman turns a bright shade of red, which causes everyone to laugh. "I guess not then."

We lapse into silence, staring at the flames or the sky. I rise slowly and turn, walking into the forest and heading for the small river that I can feel. I've always been able to sense water, no matter how far away it is. Even form the middle of this forest, I can feel the sea and I can tell exactly what tide it is in. Weird, I know.

I slip into the river and walk to the center, easily going against the current. I sit on a rock and cross my legs, breathing in and out slowly. I feel the water around me and let it calm me. A soft rustle from the tree to my right makes me look round.

Anila emerges and smiles shyly at me, before floating over to hover just beside the river bank. I stare at her, not saying a word, and she looks back, a soft smile gracing her features. She lifts her hand and point to me, before pulling them back and giving me a thumbs up. Her face is frowning now.

"Yes, I'm fine, Ani," I say, smiling at her. She smiles now and shrugs, pointing up. "Nothing's up, really. I'm just a bit tired." She nods and sit down, patting the bank beside her.

I stand up and flick the water from the clothes, before walking over and sitting beside her. She grins at me and then looks up to the sky, her hand reaching out to play with the wind. It kisses softly against my skin, lifting my hair and cloths slightly.

"I wish I could hear your voice again," I hear myself say. Her hand freezes and she turns to me, frowning "Your voice was always so soft and kind. I miss it." I look down, away from her piercing silvery eyes.

Her hand reaches out and tugs my chin up, causing me to have to look at her. She smiles slightly and pulls me into a hug, resting her chin on my shoulder. I bury my face in her hair and hold her tightly. I know it's not my fault she lost her voice; it was her decision, but it still hurts me deeply. She pulls back and stares at me. I smile at her and she points at herself, before hesitating.

"What's wrong? What about you? Are you hurt?" I ask frantically. She smiles softly at me and stands up, hovering in the air. She points to herself again, then places her hand on her heart, looking down at me. I gaze blankly up at her as she then points to me. I gape and stand up, grabbing her wrist.

"Do that again," I command, staring into her silvery eyes. She repeats the three motions and I grin, pulling her towards me. "I love you too." I capture her lips to mine and smile as she kisssd me back.

I can feel the air begin to pick up into a breeze, ruffling my hair. Ani's white-blonde hair whips around us and I feel her smile into my mouth. Nothing could be more perfect than this moment.

And then it ended.

Lucy P.O.V

Everyone is running about in panic. I clutch Levy to my side and stare about in shock. The camp is in ruins and the tree's on fire. I can hear crying and screaming; I even think I hear my name being called. I can't answer, my throat is blocked from smoke and I'm terrified to speak. They might hear us.

Another almighty roar echos through the clearing and I shudder, tucking my head into Levy's hair. She whimpers Gajeel's name but I can't see him. I can't see anyone, the smoke is too thick.

"Lucy, I'm scared," the bluenette whispers, tears leaving a dirty trail down her face as she gazes up at me. I can't say anything, just hold her tighter as another roar almost deafens us.

"Lucy!" I hear though the smoke. I try to say something, anything, but my throat catches.

"We're here," Levy yelps, sitting up. I drag her down as a shadow swoops lower towards us. That damned black dragon!

"Levy, shh!" I whisper frantically. "He'll hear us."

"I already have," a dark voice chuckles. I yelp and look to my left. Zeref leans casually against a burning tree, the flames licking the crown of his head. He doesn't even flinch.

"Stay away from her," Levy croaks. I tell her to be quiet and glare at the black haired man.

"What do you want, Zeref?" I ask. He chuckles again and stands straighter.

"You and your little pink haired friend," he says, making his way towards us. He flicks his hand to the right and Levy collapses beside me.

"Levy!" I shout, clutching her shoulder and shaking her. Her head rolls to the side and she doesn't respond. I place her gently down and turn on Zeref. "What did you do to her?!" I leap up and shout in his face.

"Nothing potentially harmful," he laughs, stepping away from me. "She'll wake up in about an hour. By then, you'll be long gone." He suddenly grabs my arm and everything goes dark.

And there we go :) Hope it was worth the wait :)

Till next time :)

Okay, I edited this cause damn I made a lot of mistakes :L Too tired for this but oh well :)