Yo. It's been a bit longer than I intended, but I've explained why to most of those who reviewed: The end of chapter twelve was MUCH different than I had originally planned, so everything else has to change, too, and I've been having trouble figuring out how to make it work.

SO. Here's USHA chapter the thirteenth.

Something felt wrong as he stepped off the train in Magnolia, but Natsu couldn't decide exactly what it was. He just didn't feel right, leaving Layla behind like that. For some reason, he felt as if she should have been with them and become a part of Fairy Tail. She came off as rude as Gajeel at times, with her fiery attitude and sarcastic comments that were meant to hurt. Sometimes he could see a flicker of pain in her own eyes after she had said something particularly vindictive or harsh before she could mask the emotion. It was all part of some sort of façade she put up, and Natsu didn't quite understand it. What did she have to hide?

It's none of my business, Natsu told himself. And yet, he still wanted to know. He wanted to know so badly that he didn't realize he'd been off the train for five minutes until Erza barked at him to get a move on or they'd leave him behind. Erza then proceeded to mumble something about wasting time under her breath, but Natsu knew that she didn't mean it to be as harsh as it sounded and so he took it rather lightly. He picked up his bag and swung it across his shoulders, watching as Happy turned in excited little circles above his head.

Even if they didn't show it very well, they were all happy to be back in Magnolia. The only thing that would make being home better would be her.

Lucy.

Natsu rubbed his forehead in frustration. His thoughts were a jumbled mess, his feelings going haywire. Everything Layla had said or done since they had first met her just kept coming back to Natsu, and he felt that something was significant. The worst part was that he couldn't decide which parts were significant. Even more confusing than that, when he thought of Layla he tended to think of Lucy, too. Had Layla somehow subtly hinted that she knew where Lucy was?

He barely realized where he was going until he was standing in front of Fairy Tail, staring at the door with Erza, Gray, and Happy behind him. When he'd moved to the lead of their pack, he had no idea, but he had, and so he'd be the one to push open the door.

And so he did what was expected of him, pushing the door open with less vigor than he might have had it been four years earlier.

"We're back, everyone!" the dragonslayer said to the guild at large, putting on his happy face. It was an abysmal attempt, because everyone already knew what he was really feeling. They were family, after all, even if they weren't blood related. But the lack of any real familial ties did not dampen the bonds they made with each other. In fact, it could be argued that the lack of blood relations is what made their bond even better and stronger than that of a normal family. That was one part of Fairy Tail that Natsu had been sure Lucy liked. Everyone was like one huge family, and he couldn't see why Luce, who didn't have her biological family anymore, would ever have wanted to leave them.

He thought like that, but deep down he wondered if she'd been kidnapped. And then he'd remind himself that she was his Lucy. She was strong and brave and so she probably wasn't kidnapped. And since it was Luce, who was smarter than even Levy sometimes, she must have had a really good reason to leave like that and she just hadn't told anyone beforehand. Even if that were the case, Natsu still felt that she should have told one of them. Leaving without a word even to Levy just wasn't like his nakama.

"Welcome back!" Mirajane's familiar cheerful voice broke across his thoughts as he wandered in and sat down at the bar. He could feel the excitement at being home running through his veins, though it was slightly dampened by the lack of his important blonde haired partner and also by his confusion over why he felt that Layla should be here with them all. "How were the jobs?"

"We had a little trouble with some of them," Natsu told her as she sat his usual drink down in front of him. "But we met this one girl, Layla, and she pretty much saved our asses on her own."

"Wow! You had to be saved?" Levy asked him, eyes wide and curious. Natsu hadn't realized he'd sat down beside her until she looked up from her book. "What's this Layla like?"

"I think everyone would like her. She's got really short black hair and blue eyes, though she was wearing brown contacts last time we saw her," Natsu thought back on the girl who for some reason made him think of Lucy. "And she acts like Gajeel, but you can tell that she's not nearly as bad as she tries to make herself seem. It's almost like she's running from something but won't say what."

"But she does have Magical Overflow," Erza said, sliding into a stool on the other side of Gray, who was next to Natsu. "She told us that much. And that she should have already died from it. She's had it for over double the time she was supposed to survive, apparently."

"Magical Overflow?" Levy's eyes were wide. "No way! That's a really, really deadly disease! Almost all mages with it die within the first couple of years! And it's worse for rune and celestial mages because they're not used to having so much magic ready to burst out at any time. And there isn't a cure yet, at least not that any of my books have…"

"We will find one," Erza said firmly. "I told Layla that I would help her if I could. We haven't known her long, but she's helped us so much…"

"She reminds me of Lucy," Happy piped up, lying on the bar in front of Gray. "She's really nice, even if she doesn't show it. Layla's still nice even though she threatened to eat me if I ever told her that she was nice again."

"Reminds me of Lucy, too," Gray contributed to the conversation.

"Yeah! Especially when she hit you pretty hard for telling her she had huge boobs!" Natsu snorted. Gray groaned, letting his forehead strike the wooden countertop with a loud thud. And then Natsu remembered something else about Layla, and spoke up. "And she likes to read, too. She bought a copy of Luce's book. She read the letters…and I think she started crying before she ran off."

Mirajane and Levy went slightly wide-eyed at the news that Layla was even a little reminiscent of Lucy.

Finally, Levy sighed.

"Sitting around here and talking about Layla won't help me meet her, even though I want to," Levy said, "And thinking about her made me realize that we should all go visit Layla and Judo Heartfilia's grave. It's that time of year, and we all go together every year. Did you remember?"

"Actually, no," Natsu said, "I forgot."

Erza, Gray, and Happy voiced their agreement. It was weird that they'd all forgotten, because it had never happened like that before.

"Ah!" Natsu said, grinning, "You could meet her anyway! Layla, that is! She said she had to go to Acalypha to get something from the merchant guilds there! If we get there soon, she might not have left yet."

Levy grinned, clapping her hands excitedly.

"Let's go!" she said, she and Mira proceeding to gather the guild and tell them all to meet up at the train station in half an hour. It was sudden, but everyone was used to happenings like that because it was Fairy Tail, after all. In all their years together, they had learned to expect things that most normal citizens of Fiore wouldn't even dream of accepting as daily occurrences.

And just as was expected of them, every single member of Fairy Tail turned up at the station on time, many with time to spare. For the last three years, they had made a big deal of going to the graves of Lucy's parents together. Natsu had actually gone alone on the first year since Lucy had left, but soon after had been followed by Erza and Gray and Happy, and the others had followed them. They all went to say their apologies to Lucy's parents, but Natsu went for more than that. He went to apologize for not only letting her disappear, or for any time he'd ever let her get hurt, but also for the fact that he hadn't found her yet. He promised them he'd find her, and so far he hadn't been successful.

The guild had made visiting those two graves a group trip because they all knew Natsu would wallow in depression if they let him alone. They all knew he thought it was his fault, and they all knew that it couldn't possibly be so.

All the mages of Fairy Tail boarded the train to Acalypha.

The brown, curly wig I wore over my blonde hair was almost uncomfortable after wearing the short wig of the Layla personality for so long, but I dealt with it. It felt kind of nice to have long hair again, even if it wasn't my real hair. I felt like a fool for dropping my Layla wig and my blue contacts at the graves of my parents, and the brown wig and green contacts made me feel like I needed a new persona. It would be hard after so long, though.

I groaned, leaning my forehead against the cool window.

How much of my blathering had the lovely old lady from the flower shop heard? All of it? It didn't really matter, though. I bet she heard enough to effectively give me away if anyone came asking around. So I'd just have to do my best to stay away from the rest of my nakama, even if it was going to hurt worse than ever before.

Who am I kidding? I asked myself with a dry laugh, watching the trees flashing by outside of the window. I knew that it would be harder to stay away now that I had already come into contact with them again. And if I saw them, there was a possibility that I'd fling myself into Natsu's arms and babble apologies before they realized who I was. They'd think I was crazy, but I was getting to the point where I didn't care.

Keeping them in the dark was beginning to seem to hurt worse than facing them would.

I pushed myself out of my seat, heading toward the ladies' room of the train car. Perhaps I'd stop at the minibar they had in the car on the way back and try to drown out some of my thoughts? Drinking was never the answer, but sometimes it could be used as an excuse, or even just a highly temporary fix. But, alas, I knew it wouldn't help me, so I passed by the minibar and made my way back toward my seat once I had finished in the restroom.

I didn't get there, instead bumping shoulders with a man who was a full head and a half taller than me. I jumped, jogged out of my thoughts, and turned to apologize before just staring blankly at him.

He was a good ten years older than me, a suave grin on his features. He was really tan and had black hair that looked purposely—and attractively—untidy. Slate grey eyes stared back into my own currently green eyes, but the smile on his face didn't reach that far. Instead, they were cold and calculating and just so empty. And the worst thing about it all was that I recognized the man in front of me.

"I'll catch up to you," I told Natsu and Happy, waving them on. We'd already lost Erza and Gray to other battles on the way to the main target of our mission, and we couldn't waste any more time. "You'll have a better chance against him, anyway, and you know it! So just go. I'll be there soon to back you up, with Erza and Gray."

"But—" Natsu protested, hesitating as the enemy laughed at the indecision.

"We don't have time, Natsu!" I said desperately, throwing a glance at the waiting man as he examined his fingernails, giving us time to sort this out. "If we both stop here it will take up too much time and then Wallace or whatever his name is will get away! I can take this guy. Just go!"

"Promise me, Luce," Natsu said lowly, casting a wary glance at the person standing to the side. "Promise me you'll be fine."

"I promise," I said softly, then grinned and tugged his scarf as if I wasn't at all worried. "Now just go and finish this job up! My rent's a day late!"

It made Natsu force a laugh and he uncharacteristically hugged me briefly, pressing my head against his chest where I could hear his heart beating. It was comforting, in a way, and I vowed right then that I would do whatever I could to buy him time. Because, really, I didn't think I had much of a chance against the guy I was about to fight. All I knew is that I had to try.

"I'll see you later then," he finally said when he pulled away from me. He pulled my hair gently, almost like I had done to his scarf, before turning and continuing down the path. I watched until Happy picked him up and they began to fly, and then until they were out of sight, before my new enemy cleared his throat. I jumped, caught off guard and cursing myself, as I turned to look at the person I was going to fight.

The first thing that struck me about him was that he was older than me, probably by anywhere from seven to ten years. And next, I realized that he was incredibly handsome. He had messy black hair that kind of curled toward the base of his neck. He was tanned, and for a brief second reminded me of a version of Ren from Blue Pegasus…only more evil looking. Because there was a sort of coldness in his eyes that I could see even from a distance. The way he was grinning at me was disarming, disconcerting, and put me on edge almost instantly.

"Lucy Heartfilia, of Fairy Tail," he said in a deep, honeyed voice. As an aspiring author, I could quickly spot the hidden malice in his tone.

"That's me," I responded, putting on my brave face. "Now who are you?"

"My fellows call me Narcissus," he shrugged, as if he accepted the name. "That's all you need to know about me. I'd like to know more about you. For instance, what is your favorite color? Or maybe, what is your favorite food? Since you have to die, even the question of how you'd like to die…so? Do you have a few answers for me?"

"Why would I tell you anything?" I retorted, scowling.

"Very well, Lucy. We'll just have to use my traditional fall-back. The good news is that you'll live past this meeting…but the bad news is that you'll probably be dead within a year. Considering, I think I'm being quite generous."

I didn't understand what he was talking about. It sounded like Narcissus was spouting a lot of nonsense, but the calm and collected way he said it made me wary. My fingers itched to pull Loke's key from my key ring and let him out, but I waited. I wanted to see if this strange man would say any more about his plans. Sure, it was a long shot, but I had to try. The more I knew about what he was doing, the better chance I might have, right?

He pulled on a pair of black gloves.

"Tell me, Lucy," he asked, flexing his fingers, "are you sure you wouldn't like to pick your way to die?"

I hated how cocky this man was. It didn't matter that he was devilishly handsome, because with just a glance I could see his corrupted heart. He was standing between our team from Fairy Tail and completion of this job—which would pay my rent for two months if we didn't damage anything—and I was anxious to catch up to Natsu, so I pulled not Loke's key first, but Capricorn's. I held it firmly between my thumb and forefinger, watching Narcissus closely for any movement. I think he took my scowl as an answer, because he started talking again.

"So you're still going to leave it all up to me? You're going to let me choose how to deal with you, even though I'm threatening you with a long, painful death?" he laughed. "Why, Lucy, you're much braver than I would have expected! This is going to be fun."

He attacked then, and it was all I could do to bring Capricorn's key across my body and open his gate before my enemy was upon me.

I didn't expect to have any side effects of that fight. He had trapped me with his magic, binding me to a tree, and had forced a small cube, like a lachrima, into my body in the center of my chest. It hurt, and it bled, but soon after he had disappeared and Erza and Gray showed up. Nothing seemed amiss until I motioned the two stronger mages ahead, saying that I'd watch our backs.

When the two were out of sight, I had my first attack.

Narcissus's words didn't even register in my mind. His talk of a slow and painful death never registered. Not even when I searched through all the books I had to find that my symptoms matched those of the extremely fatal Magical Overflow. My heart had dropped in my chest, and suddenly I could see my life flashing before my eyes, as cliché as it may sound. All the books said I wouldn't survive for much longer than a year. And my chances were exceptionally low because I was a celestial mage, and they weren't known to last much longer than seven months.

I had never forgotten his face.

Since contracting Magical Overflow, I had visited a few mage doctors in secret, only to be told that there wasn't anything that they could do. After a while, I finally stopped somewhere and asked them to remove the small lachrima that had been embedded in my chest. Perhaps, I thought, the lachrima could have been the cause.

I was told that there wasn't a lachrima in my chest.

After that startling discovery, I searched for Narcissus for a few months. It had already been over a year since I had fought the man, though, and whatever trail he might have left was cold. I couldn't find him with magic, or by rumors, so I left the main continent. It wasn't very long after that I found myself in the town of Reason and consequently gave up the search entirely. I had reached the bottom, finally believing for certain that there was nothing I could do. I stayed there because being so far away meant that it would be harder for my nakama to find me and so I wouldn't have to tell them about my 'disease'.

I had given up.

It was different then, though. I knew that I was hurting them more by not telling them than I would have if I had just had the courage to tell them from the start. I was still too afraid to tell them, though. And now here I was, far away from them on a train, and the person who might have caused it all was standing right next to me. He was exactly as I had remembered, just a few years older. Like me. I wondered for a second if he recognized me.

"Shy, are we?" he asked conversationally. I still recognized the underlying malice in his tone. "What's your name, if you don't mind me asking?"

"It's none of your business," I said the words harshly, forgetting that my new persona was truly meant to be shy, like he had accused me of being.

"You know something interesting?" his smile made me want to throw up all over him. I shook my head at him, inwardly grimacing as he continued, "You positively reek of Magical Overflow. I get the feeling you're nearing the end of the tether as far as Overflow goes. So what are you doing on a train with no one around you? Are you running from the truth? Because listen to it from someone who knows: you haven't got a chance."

"I appreciate your concern," I said stiffly, not hiding the malice in my own tone.

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow at the coldness in my voice. "So you do have some bite?"

"What do you care? Just leave me alone before you regret it."

His eyebrow went even higher as I glared at him.

"You have the look of someone who just might hate me," he said, not seeming at all worried by my implied threat. "But I really don't see why. You can't be one of the people I've forced Magical Overflow upon. All of them are confirmed dead except for the most recent. It was Lucy of Fairy Tail, you know?" he laughed. "Her guild is searching for her everywhere, when she's probably dead and decaying somewhere. I like to have closure about my victims, though, so I've held off on afflicting someone until I hear about Lucy."

I clenched my fists at my sides, slowly letting my leaking energy concentrate into my right fist. This bastard had the nerve to talk to me like this? And the nerve to admit that he had somehow been the cause of my Magical Overflow?

He was going to pay.

"It's been three years and seven months," he said, leaning closer and whispering to me. "She's dead, wouldn't you say?"

I didn't answer, but he was apparently expecting that, because he leaned back with a grin.

"So, since it's been more than triple the time that a celestial mage could have survived, I'm itching to make another beautiful mage suffer. And seeing as you're already suffering from Magical Overflow, I can't afflict you. There are several other candidates on this train, I'm sure."

He started laughing and began to walk away, and on impulse I snatched his wrist. He paused and turned back to me, his eyebrow once more disappearing into his hair.

"Don't even think about it," I said darkly, frowning at him. "You don't even have closure yet."

His grin was patronizing. I hated it.

"Well, dear, since it's been so long, I find it safe to assume…"

I stepped back and raised my right fist, slinging it forward across his face with as much force as I could muster. I released the built-up energy at the same time, which caused him to hit the table that was in front of my seat. The table cracked, but didn't break, and I sneered at him. I'd give myself away if it would save any other woman from Narcissus, at least for a little while…

I'd be damned if I hid any longer.

"Hello, Narcissus," I put emphasis on the only name he had ever given me, using the most spiteful tone I could muster. "You look surprised that I know that name. Why? Do you go by something different now? After all, that was three and a half years ago now, wasn't it? You said so yourself."

To say that he looked surprised was definitely an understatement. He looked completely flabbergasted to hear those words from me, and he looked between my face and my gloved hand a few times before he actually closed his mouth. I was pleased to know that it had come as such a severe shock to him that I was still alive, still breathing, and actually sitting at the same table as he was.

The golden spark of an oncoming attack then leapt from my pinky across the rest of the fingers of my right hand, and his eyes widened further. I could feel the attack coming on, and I wanted to curse and find a way to stop the train and run out into one of the fields coming up, but I didn't. If I did that, how was I to know that Narcissus wouldn't go after another mage anyway?

That's when I noticed Sherri and Lyon, of Lamia Scale, on their feet and staring at us warily. I knew instantly that she'd probably be the first one that Narcissus went after if I let him go. After spotting those two, I glanced around the rest of the train car briefly. The other passengers of the car were still seated, but many of them were looking at us with trepidation. None of them wanted to be involved in a mage's fight.

"Lucy Heartfilia," he breathed, finally regaining his voice. And then he began to laugh loudly. "Lucy Heartfilia! I never thought I'd see this day. This is absolutely astounding! I guess I'll have to deal with you in person now, won't I?"

I saw the two Lamia Scale mages freeze at hearing my name, sharing glances with each other. I pulled my gaze away from them and turned an icy glare on Narcissus instead.

"I guess so."

The table he'd crashed into was wrenched from the train by his magic, and I leapt back a bit as he threw it at me. Focusing some of my overflowing magic into my hand once more, I punched the table and it shattered. Regular citizens in the train car began to scream, fleeing from our immediate vicinity. Narcissus then paused, staring at me. I took this time to take my contacts out as quickly as possible, and I dashed them to the floor. I probably wouldn't need them after this. I did the exact same thing with the brown wig I wore, never taking my eyes from the man in front of me lest he should make a move while I was distracted.

"How have you hidden so long, Lucy?" he asked, grinning at me. "The wig and the contacts, sure, but you had to have gone by another name!"

"My most recent name was Layla Heart," I said coldly, another spark leaping from my shoulder to my ear, stinging me. I didn't know why I was telling him, but Lyon and Sherri had not fled the area and I knew that if I died fighting this man, they would be able to tell my nakama. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if they jumped in the fight to help me.

"Lucy," I saw Sherri's lips move.

"Why aren't you dead yet?" Narcissus didn't bother keeping his voice down. "That lachrima that I injected you with dissolved and with it, the barrier holding back the excess magic you couldn't control yet was disintegrated. The disintegration of that barrier is what causes Magical Overflow. Celestial mages usually don't last a year with that condition though, and it's been three and a half years since I forced it onto you. What's so special about you?"

"I've got things to fight for," I said, my voice louder and more emotional than I wanted it to be. "Because of you, I left! I didn't want to hurt any of them by up and dying, so I left! I've missed out on over three years with my nakama, my family, and it's because of you. It's time for you to make some reparations for what you've done!"

"Plus, she's Lucy of Fairy Tail," just as I had expected, Lyon stood behind Narcissus, prepared to use his Ice Make magic. "If you know anything about Fairy Tail, you should know that they never give up, even when the odds are against them. But I'm sure they'd be interested in learning that you're the one who led to Lucy leaving them."

"It was because of her love for them that she left!" Sherri piped up. "She didn't want to hurt them because she was going to die. And it's your fault! Their love for each other has caused only pain because of you!"

It had been a while since I'd heard Sherri's talk of love. It made me grin a little, but I couldn't dwell on that.

"A mage of Fairy Tail never gives up," I agreed with Lyon, clenching my fist more tightly as more of my magical energy sparked from my hip down my leg in a spiral. And I realized that I had been giving up, letting myself believe there was no cure for me when I should have been trying my best to find one so I could go back to my nakama and continue to live happily with everyone. I had to keep trying. I couldn't make up for the time I'd lost, but I could sure as hell do my best to make amends with the time I had left and, if possible, find a cure.

Narcissus sneered at me.

"Then I suppose we should get this over with, Layla. It's the best course of action, since you won't just give up."

"I couldn't agree more," I scowled at him. The group from Lamia Scale was ready to fight, too, but I raised a hand at them. "I appreciate your concern, guys, but this is my fight. If it doesn't go well for me, you can tell Fairy Tail what happened."

Once more, Narcissus started to laugh.

One of the civilians from our train car must have reached the conductor, because the train began to screech on the tracks, sliding to a halt. I figured that they'd attempt to eject us, but if none of their staff were mages, they wouldn't stand a chance. I glanced around and spotted a fairly large window. The idea started to form in my head from there, and I charged at Narcissus. I caught him unawares and we flew through the window in a shower of glass, landing hard on the ground in a field. I flung myself away from him as soon as we hit, tumbling head over heels a few times before standing. I saw the Lamia Scale mages following through the hole I'd created.

Spitting out a globule of blood, Narcissus stood. He was glaring now, all of his false cheerfulness gone. And then he smirked, raising his hand in the direction of the train.

Before any of the Lamia Scale mages or I could intervene, he'd blasted our train car off the tracks. The motion caused the rest of the cars to derail too and screams came from the rocking cars. It was probably a miracle that none of them overturned. It was my turn to scowl at him once more. I could hear my blood rushing in my ears, and I was more than ready to take him down.

And so I charged again.

The rest of the guild had already said what they wanted to at the graves of Layla and Judo Heartfilia. They were all standing in a huge semicircle around the graves, though, as Natsu knelt in front of them with his head down. They all knew that he was saying so much more than they had, and they respected it with their silence. Everyone knew he blamed himself, but no one knew why.

Natsu thought he should have realized something was wrong. Lucy was his best friend, and shouldn't he have realized that something was amiss? He had never quite forgiven himself for not noticing that something was wrong, and no matter how many times his friends had told him that it wasn't his fault, he never believed them. And he was worse off without Lucy than any of them were, because he was closest. The fire dragonslayer had been even closer to Luce than Levy had, which was saying something.

Even if he didn't say it, everyone knew that he felt more for her.

He felt doubly responsible for everything because Natsu Dragneel loved Lucy Heartfilia, and the entire guild knew it.

And so every year when the guild went to the graves of Lucy's parents, he spent a long time in silence, running through everything he felt he needed to apologize for. Natsu often spent the better part of an hour there, on his knees with his head bowed. Even Happy didn't go near him, or try to speak to him. Everyone knew how much this time meant and what it meant.

The entire guild noticed when tears began to run down Natsu's cheeks, but none of them commented on it. They never did. Everyone had shed tears since Lucy left, except for perhaps Gajeel and Laxus, and so no one would blame Natsu or tease him for his moment of weakness. He didn't make a move, not even to wipe the liquid sadness away.

When Natsu lifted his head and finally wiped his cheeks, he sat there staring for just a few moments more. He then stood and brushed his knees off, bowing respectfully to the gravestone.

It was when he turned that he noticed an old lady standing at the entrance to the graveyard and he recognized her as the owner of the flower shop that they had stopped at, like usual. She was staring at them all with sad eyes.

"There was another person here, just a few hours ago," said the lady. Natsu noticed that she was holding a few items in her hands. "She jumped and ran when she saw me and left a few things behind. I thought you might like to see them…?"

Chapter 13 is over. Finite. What's going to happen next?

You'll have to wait and see, haha.

Okay, that was needlessly cruel to say. But it's true. And you know it!

Anyway, thanks for reading! And thank the lovely aphrodite931 (Ari-chan!) for helping to make this chapter a bazillion times better than it was going to be! I had a few poor plot choices and she set me straight XD THANK YOU ARI-CHAN.

And happy early birthday, you know who you are! (I believe someone has a birthday on the 9th and there might be another with a birthday on the 13th of this month...XD)