Oh, no. Lucy! What's happened to you? What's going to happen? And what will Natsu do about it?

Ladies and gentlemen, I now introduce to you the elusive beast called a Final Chapter. Oh my.

Enjoy.

Also, if this does not live up to the usual standards, I apologize. This chapter is self-edited.

Natsu held me tightly against his chest, hands protecting my head from as much of the swirling magical energy as he possibly could. It didn't matter if I pushed against his chest to force him away, because his elbows were locked and no separation was created between us. The attempts I made to push him back were very few, and my head fell to his shoulder as I tried futilely to hole back a shriek. It had to be murder on his ears, but he didn't say anything and he didn't let a sound of pain escape his lips.

He was my rock. Natsu was my rock and always had been. I was just too dense to realize how much I needed him and now that I had, it was too late.

I clutched his vest tightly in my shaking hands as the realization hit me.

Maybe if I was with all of my nakama at Fairy Tail, I would have succumbed to Magical Overflow when I was supposed to as a celestial mage. Perhaps spending my last days with all of my closest friends, those who meant the most to me, would have helped me to accept my impending end more completely than I already had. But there was also the chance that I would have fought harder to win out against the odds and searched incessantly for a cure. I could have found a cure because I would have had my loved ones helping me and urging me on—they would never have accepted my inevitable death. I could have had more time with Erza and Gray and Mira and Levy and most of all, Natsu…but I had run like a coward at the first signs of the condition and hadn't even given them a chance to help me.

I'm such a coward.

My eyes slid closed on a memory that reminded me just how much I've always needed the pink-haired dragonslayer that held me in his arms.

The forest around me was eerily silent and the light seemed to be leaking away as darkness encroached upon where I stood. My ragged breathing met the air and sounded like a foghorn in the silence. I could feel my heart beating painfully in my chest—ba-bump, ba-bump—and I couldn't hear anything other than my racing pulse. Where was he? The enemy that I had been fighting…who knew he wasn't just an exquip mage like Erza—though not nearly so talented as she—and who knew that his second branch of magic was darkness, of all things? If I could remember rightly, darkness mages weren't a very common type of mage. What were the chances?

"What's the matter, Blondie?" the nickname reminded me of Flare, the woman I'd fought in the tournament that occurred when we'd first returned from Tenrou Island. "Can't see anything?"

The laugh that filtered through the air around me was infuriating. This man…he had the nerve to say such things? He knew very well that I was effectively blinded by his magic, and I knew that I was pretty much screwed in this fight. There was no way I could win against this kind of magic. Especially not when my keys were laying on the ground somewhere in the darkness, along with the belt they were attached to.

I cursed myself for letting him get so close with that knife of his before I'd even summoned one of my spirits out to help me.

"Cat got your tongue?"

The little half-shriek that escaped my mouth at the proximity of his voice was cut off when an arm wrapped around both of mine—which effectively trapped them to my sides— and something that felt suspiciously metallic and was ice cold pressed against the skin of my throat.

"Get off," the words escaped my lips before I could think better of it. And I knew I couldn't take it back once it had fallen from my mouth, so I bit down on my tongue lightly to keep myself from saying anything more.

I needn't have worried about angering him. My retort had just amused him, and he laughed at me.

"So the little girl has some spunk, eh?" he said, his lips disgustingly close to my ear. His tone turned darker and sent a shiver up my spine. "I love spunk. It makes breaking them so much more…fun."

An involuntary twitch made his blade dig into my flesh and I felt a single drip roll down my neck, resting for an instant in the hollow of my throat. And the fear mounted—what was I thinking, going up against a man like this? I let the others go on and told them I'd catch up, but I wouldn't be catching up and they'd get worried…but how could they find me in the middle of darkness magic? Even fire mages have trouble against darkness magic!

My mouth was growing drier by the second and my racing pulse had yet to slow.

"Don't get all shy now," he dropped his voice to a revolting whisper that held a hint of amusement. "It was just getting fun!"

Natsu, I wanted to call out. Where was he when I needed him most? He was always, always there to save me…but where was he now? He would come if I called—he just had to!

I opened my mouth and before I could second guess my own actions again, I shouted as loudly as I could for the one person I knew would hear no matter how far away he was. As the cry of "Natsu!" escaped my lips, the man holding me cursed and removed his blade, shoving me to the ground. I fell with a small outcry of pain as my ankle twisted awkwardly. I could sense my enemy rather than see him—he was crouched above me, and I could feel the tip of his blade hovering right over my heart. No doubt he could see me, since this was his magic, so he was probably relishing the abject fear that probably shined in my eyes. My heart was beating painfully in my chest and I couldn't move because of my opponent's other hand firmly pinning me down by the shoulder.

"You little bitch," he growled, all playfulness gone, "you've taken 'spunk' just a step too far."

This was it—he was going to kill me. I clenched my eyes closed and tried to think of anything but whether or not dying like this would hurt, but to no avail.

Natsu, I called out futilely in my mind. It was of no use, though—he wouldn't hear me if I didn't say it out loud. And even if I called again, he wouldn't get here in time. Calling again would just antagonize my soon-to-be murderer even further. He wouldn't hesitate any longer if I let myself shout for the pink-haired dragonslayer again.

As the blade seemed to press just a little harder against my chest, an unwanted whimper escaped.

But then I heard something over my rough breathing and frantic heartbeat that the darkness mage hovering over me must have heard, too. His grip on me loosened just slightly and the pressure of his blade in the area over my heart lessened a fraction. His attention was on whatever was crashing through the woods. The sounds seemed to come from some raving creature—a creature just as frantic as my heartbeat.

And then the creature roared.

"Lucy!"

Relief flooded through me. That roar wasn't harmful to me at all—it was Natsu! He'd heard me, and he was coming. It sounded as though he was running as fast as he could; which, I amended my thoughts, was quite plausible. Natsu would do absolutely anything for one of his nakama, especially if it meant saving a life.

"You little—" I had the strong suspicion he would have called me a bitch again as he prepared to stab me, had it not been for the furious dragonslayer that barreled into him.

"Get off of her!" was the battlecry as Natsu's flames lit up the darkness and I could finally see once more. The mage who surely would have killed me if it weren't for Natsu was out in an instant and I was clinging to my best friend as though my life depended on it—and my life had depended on him more times than I could count. He was so dependable that I feared I might depend on him for help forever.

"Are you all right, Luce?"

"Thanks to you," I answered his worried, shaky inquiry with as much courage as I could muster. I don't think he bought it, but he offered me a smile anyway as the last wisps of the darkness magic faded away. And from then on, we didn't need to say anything. Natsu stood up and then helped me up, which reminded me of my twisted ankle. Natsu wrapped a strong, warm arm around my waist and drew my arm around his shoulders to help me along even more.

"Let's catch up to Erza and Gray, okay?" he asked me, not urgently or forcefully.

"That sounds like a plan," I agreed, wincing as I tried and failed to put weight on my injured ankle. Natsu supported me and we made our way onward. And once again, I found myself depending on him to be my support.

And that was fine by me.

Yes, it was fine by me that I needed Natsu and depended on him—what wasn't fine was that he was going to die here because of me. And if he didn't die, he still wouldn't leave unscathed. And if something happened to him, it meant that the entirety of Fairy Tail was going to be effected because Natsu was one of the most integral parts of the entire guild. And I hated myself for what this would cause, but I couldn't do anything about it now.

With a valiant effort, I choked back my scream. It took much more effort than I had ever had to exercise before, but it was barely enough.

If Natsu was going to be this strong, I would be, too.

I love you, Natsu. You might never know…but I love you.

Oh, how it hurt for me to acknowledge that he might never know, but I couldn't open my mouth to tell him for the fear of letting out another scream. So instead, I disentangled my hands from his vest with difficulty and wrapped my arms around his waist. To my relief, Natsu held me tighter and his ragged breathing was right by my ear.

"Lucy," he somehow managed, "Luce, you'll…be okay…"

I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the statement, but I also wanted to believe that he was right and that I would come out of this just fine. With his arms encircling me as they were, it wasn't too hard to believe even though I knew deep down that I shouldn't be so hopeful.

But then again, I realized that it was the concept of Pandora's Box—humankind would be nothing if we didn't have hope. It was how my nakama had survived those long seven years when some of us had been lost on Tenrou Island, and it was how my team had been able to survive my absence and had continued to search for me even when their despair threatened to take over. It was what had kept me going when I wanted to give up in the very beginning and it was what caused others to believe in me even when they knew what Magical Overflow was capable of.

Yet somehow…I still couldn't let myself succumb. It would only be a letdown if I didn't survive…not that I would be alive to feel the disappointment.

"Lucy!"

I jumped at the voice that wasn't Natsu's—it came from outside the swirling vortex of golden magical energy yet wasn't Lyon or Sherri or even Happy. It sounded like—

"Erza," Natsu's voice was raised, "Erza! Do something!"

What there was to do, I had no idea, but apparently Natsu felt like something could be done and I wasn't willing to contradict him. He must be feeling the hope I refused to allow into my heart. The next words I heard the redheaded exquip mage say were indistinct, but Natsu must have heard them because he leaned down and said to me, his voice kind of hoarse, "They're…gonna do…everything…they can, Luce. We just have…to wait for them."

Black spots swam before my eyes, but I didn't want to dampen his spirits by letting him know I didn't know how long I could hold on. So I nodded my head as firmly as I could against his shoulder. I didn't trust myself to open my mouth. I could taste the bitter blood from my bitten tongue—it was the only thing keeping my mouth closed and my scream bottled up inside.

"Natsu! Lucy!"

Was that…it couldn't be! But it was, because he spoke again.

"Just hang on!"

Gray's voice was louder than Erza's and easier for me to hear.

"What should Juvia do?" the blue-haired mage's voice came, barely distinguishable as a few small explosions sounded around me and Natsu. And I knew then that it wouldn't be long before the entire guild was here if the five of them—Natsu, Happy, Gray, Juvia, and Erza—were already here. I wouldn't have been surprised if Levy wasn't too far behind.

But those black specks were persistent, and it took almost more energy than I had to keep myself awake.

I'm not going to last much longer…

My heart started racing and it hurt. It hurt because I was no longer resigned to my once inevitable end—the hope I tried to smother had nonetheless bloomed within my chest and now I wanted nothing more than to survive this. I was back with my friends and not only did I not want things to end this way…I didn't want them to end at all! Not yet, at any rate. But it seemed as though the choice of whether to live or die was slipping away from me.

I had unconsciously dug my fingers into Natsu's back and alerted him to my plight. He didn't know exactly what was wrong but he knew that it was something and that it couldn't be good.

"Erza! Gray! Hurry!"

My fingers relaxed and my grip on him loosened slightly as my consciousness continued to ebb. Natsu leaned closer, holding me tighter for the lack of my grip and all the while continued to protect my head. "Hold on, Luce!" his voice was higher from pain and worry. "You can…do it! I'm right…here with ya, Luce…so just…stay with me!"

As cliché as it might have been, I wanted to speak my next thought aloud but couldn't get my mouth to open even though I should have been screaming.

I'll always be with you, Natsu. I promise.

The tears leaking from my eyes disappeared almost instantly in the maelstrom of slicing, painful magical energy. I wanted to tell him I was sorry again, or to hug him back, or even tell him how much I cared for him, but my voice wouldn't work and my vision was growing dark. Unconsciousness wasn't far away and after that…

"Luce…Lucy!"

My world went black.

Lucy had slumped in Natsu's arms and he could get no response from her, but the attack of her Magical Overflow continued around them.

Hasn't this tortured her enough? He wondered angrily, gritting his teeth against the cry that wanted to come out. He wouldn't scream—he'd be strong for Lucy because she'd forced herself to stop screaming for him. Lucy was unconscious, though, and so Natsu tucked her head under his chin and held the blonde tightly against him. If he could somehow shield her with his own body, it would all be worth it.

"Where is Lu-chan? Is she…is she in that?"

Finally! Levy was here! If anyone could come up with a quick solution before they could consult Porlyusica, it was her! Natsu was thankful that his sensitive hearing could pick up on the solid script mage's words so that he knew she was present—she would think of something…wouldn't she?

Lucy groaned then in the midst of her involuntary slumber and slowly, ever so slowly, Natsu perceived that the strength of the magical energy converging upon them from all sides was lessening in strength. Natsu clutched Lucy against him as if their lives depended on it, not willing to let any of this dwindling power hurt her now. If it wasn't just a lull, the attack was ending and he could get help for Lucy! Hope made his heart flutter painfully in his chest.

We can still save her!

He wouldn't have to lose her yet. He might still get the chance to tell her all that he felt.

"Look, it's slowing down!" Sherri's voice broke through Natsu's hopeful bubble of excitement, and he turned his head up just slightly to realize that he could now faintly see shapes outside the vortex whereas before all he could see was Lucy's magic. Natsu tucked his chin back above the blonde's head then, wincing as a wound seared across his shoulder—but as long as it was him and not Lucy, he could deal with it. After all, it wasn't as if there weren't numerous little gashes and lacerations all over him from this explosion of magic; but this was for Lucy, so it was okay. She'd been dealing with this alone for three and a half years now—wasn't it time she shared the burden?

"I've got you, Luce," he said, and he realized that he wasn't forced to breathe as harshly anymore. Another glance showed that he could now distinctly make out Happy and Wendy and Charle, waiting just a few inches beyond the wall of magical energy. Natsu breathed a sigh of relief and whispered in the unconscious woman's ear, "Just hang on a little longer, Luce. The cavalry has arrived!"

If she'd been awake, she probably would have thought that the cavalry had arrived when just Natsu, Happy, Erza, Gray, and Juvia had been present.

Erza never even noticed that she'd been holding her breath until the swirling, angry energy had finally slowed, merely sparking in spasms that grew farther and farther apart. Her breath rushed out in a hurry, leaving her lightheaded as she and Gray bolted towards the duo that had been in the midst of everything. Happy was already there and Wendy and Charle were not too far behind.

"Lucy!" Erza cried out, looking down at the bloody and beaten blonde that the pink-haired dragonslayer clutched to his chest.

"She's unconscious," Natsu hated to say it, but it was true. "Wendy, can you help her?"

The smaller dragonslayer knelt down by Natsu as Levy rushed forward and helped them to lay her blonde friend out, head resting in Natsu's lap. Tears were falling unchecked from every eye as the entirety of the guild began to gather around. Wendy knelt down by Lucy's left side and reached her hands over her.

"I'll do whatever I can," she vowed, her long navy hair tied back in a braid that fell most of the way down her back. Romeo came up to kneel next to Wendy, placing a hand on Natsu's shoulder.

"Are you going to be okay, Natsu-nii?"

The dragonslayer nodded mutely, but whereas the younger Romeo might have been offended, the seventeen-year-old Romeo completely understood. After all, he'd be just as distracted if it was Wendy lying on the ground unconscious. If anything were to ever happen to his girlfriend, he might just go crazy. So yes, Romeo knew exactly what was wrong with Natsu and would just sit there with him as Wendy worked her magic.

Levy sat on her heels about three feet away, Gajeel standing close by, as she frantically paged through a book she'd found a bit of Magical Overflow information in. Cana dropped beside Juvia, who sat just slightly removed from the group of Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Charle, Romeo, Erza, Gray, and Happy, and the two white-haired takeover women fell, exhausted, next to them.

Laxus and Elfman had decided they needed something to do with their hands, so Narcissus was now tied up and attached to both of them by ropes securely knotted around their wrists.

"She should be fine for now," Wendy said softly, beginning to heal a few cuts with just a simple touch. "She'll wake up within a day or a day and a half and be exhausted, but we won't be able to wait very long after she wakes. We'll have to get her to Porlyusica to see if she can do anything about the condition. I…I don't have any knowledge of what to do with Magical Overflow…"

"That's fine, Wendy," Master Makarov said, placing a hand on her elbow. "You've done what you can. Everyone should just go home for now. Laxus, Elfman, and I will take this man to the council's prison cells—may he rot there!"

"I'll come with you, Master," Erza said, standing up.

"You should stay with Lucy," Makarov told his redheaded daughter softly. She shouldn't let her sense of duty get in the way.

"No," the exquip mage surprised him by defying him. "I need to be there to make sure he gets put away for the crimes he's committed. I'm sure Lucy would agree if she was awake right now."

And Natsu thought that Erza was probably right about it. If Lucy was awake, she would probably want Erza by her side, but she would understand that Erza felt this had to be done. It wasn't like Lucy to make anyone shirk what they thought was the right thing to do…just for her. Lucy wasn't that needy.

He could remember times when he had truly needed her more than she'd needed him.

That day had come again. Of course it had—it came and went year after year and every single time, it tormented him more than he let on. And yet Lucy had realized his pain. For years, he'd dealt with this all alone, but then he met her and she saw straight through him. She was the first one to ever see through his façade comletely...and if he was being honest, he wouldn't have wanted anyone else to see through him.

"Natsu…?"

The blonde girl had come across the guild to him and laid her hand gently on his shoulder, leaning over him with a concerned look in her eyes. She had blatantly ignored Gray's warnings to stay away from Natsu today because he'd be depressing—and yes, Natsu was sure that Gray had said that. Just because he was depressed didn't mean that he couldn't hear. She had ignored that Popsicle and decided to approach the fire dragonslayer anyway.

"Natsu, are you okay?"

No, he wanted to tell her. I'm not okay.

Instead, what came out of his mouth was, "I'm fine, Luce."

He didn't look very closely at her, but he heard the sigh that escaped from her lips, and then was surprised when she sat down right beside him, close enough that their shoulders brushed. She didn't look at him, but she spoke.

"Don't lie to me, Natsu. It's because it's July 7th. It's always because it's July 7th."

He didn't know what she could base 'always' off of. He'd only known her through two of the days he called 'that' day.

The dragonslayer made a noncommittal sound in his throat.

"You're forgetting I lost someone that day too," her voice was soft and her hand was on his shoulder. And then he turned to really look at her—her blonde hair was up as usual, her outfit was immaculate, her boots were freshly polished, her nails…black…and her eyes were lacking their usual luster. Her makeup disguised much of the evidence of recent tears, but not all of it.

"I…I'm sorry, Luce," Natsu looked down, ashamed at himself.

"I understand what you're going through," she told him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "So you can talk to me, okay?"

And he did.

The others helped put the train back on its track and then were allowed onboard free of charge because of it—and, Natsu suspected, because the unconscious blonde in his arms had saved their asses. And even when they had boarded the train, he didn't let Lucy out of his sight. Wendy cast her Troia on him so that he didn't get ill, and Natsu stayed in a compartment with Lucy, her head in his lap, while Gray, Happy, Wendy, Charle, and Erza occupied the other bench—or, in the case of the Exceeds, the luggage rack.

"When we get to the station," Erza said softly, "Elfman, Laxus, Master, and I will take that mage on another train towards Era. The rest of you will go back to Magnolia. Send someone for Porlyusica as soon as you get off the train."

"Got it," Natsu said, brushing the blonde's sweaty bangs away from her eyes as she grimaced in her troubled sleep.

He was the only one aside from Charle who heard what Happy said to the white Exceed then.

"He really does like her, you know?"

The blue feline said it without the trademark rolling of his tongue, without his usual gusto. He merely said it as he would state a fact—which, in this case, was exactly what he was doing. His eyes were watery and large and Natsu couldn't bring himself to look at his 'son' for the fear that he, too, would break down.

"I know," Charle's voice whispered back to Happy, and Natsu took just one quick glance to see her rubbing the distraught Exceed's back.

"I'll go for Porlyusica when we get back," Gray suddenly volunteered. His reasons didn't need to be said; they all knew. He would go because he knew Natsu wouldn't leave Lucy's side for a moment and because, next to Natsu, he had the right to do it more than the others. She was their beloved teammate. Levy was her best female friend, perhaps, but that meant she'd want to stay with Luce, too. And Erza wouldn't be there to go for Porlyusica, because she'd be dealing with the bastard that had begun all of this nearly four years ago.

And so it was decided, and as Lucy twitched in her sleep and Natsu brushed her hair away again, Charle spoke up.

"I'll carry you there and carry her back. It'll be faster that way."

And that was that.

When they finally reached Magnolia a few hours later, Gray and Charle didn't waste a second in winging for Porlyusica's home and Natsu hefted Lucy in his arms bridal style. She stirred but didn't wake up, and so he carried her to the guild as their nakama circled around them as an honor guard of sorts. Mirajane led them swiftly to a bed in the infirmary and the dragonslayer gently let the celestial mage out of his arms and onto the soft mattress.

"Wendy?" Lisanna asked, and the blue-haired dragonslayer needed no more urging. She stepped up beside the bed and began to examine Lucy again, brow furrowed in concentration.

"She should wake up pretty soon," she finally said. "It's already been eight hours since we found her…she's recovered quickly, all things considered."

The others agreed with her, and Mira laid her hand gently on Natsu's shoulder for a brief instant as she made her way out. She was going to undoubtedly whip up some sort of small meal that barely anyone would be able to stomach at the moment even though they knew that Lucy was going to be okay. And that's just how Mirajane worked—she made sure her hands were busy so her mind wouldn't torment her. It was how she got through those years when she'd thought Lisanna was dead. And Lisanna, for her part, followed her older sister without a word, mind set on the same purpose.

"I'll go wait for Porlyusica," Wendy stepped away from Lucy slowly. "I'll bring her in when she gets here and explain the situation. Happy, would you come tell me if she wakes up before then?"

She knew better than to ask Natsu to leave Lucy's side.

Happy nodded to her request, and she took her leave after bestowing a light, comforting hug on the older, pink-haired dragonslayer. He was surprised at the action but didn't react other than to nod to her—but she knew how much it meant.

Somehow, everyone could read him like a book when it came to things concerning Lucy.

The sheets rustled slightly as I shifted my leg. The pounding in my head was enough to assure me that I was alive still…somehow. And the softness I felt…I was in a bed somewhere. A groan escaped my lips as I shifted my arms and soreness permeated my entire body.

"Luce?" a familiar voice entered my ears. "Lucy, are you awake?"

Squeezing my eyes shut tight for a second, I said, "Yeah," in a croaky voice. I then proceeded to open my eyes back up and was temporarily blinded by the light that shined in them. I blinked a few times in rapid succession before a face came into view above me, blocking out most of the light. I squinted and made out the strong jawline and fluffy pink locks of my favorite dragonslayer in the world.

"I'm going to tell Wendy!" another voice came, and from the corner of my eye I spotted a blue blur.

"How do you feel?" Natsu asked, and I was pleasantly surprised when he reached his hand up to feel my forehead. I didn't know what he would accomplish by doing that when his body temperature was abnormally high anyway, but it was a cute gesture and I appreciated it.

"Sore," I responded, and then decided that I wanted to sit up—now. But I knew I wouldn't be able to succeed on my own, so I added, "Help me sit up?"

"Are you sure?"

I just nodded, and started to push myself up. My arms were a little weak but Natsu's hands were on my shoulders soon, helping me just as I had asked him to. When I was sitting up he even put his arm around behind me so I wouldn't fall as he somehow simultaneously adjusted my pillows and then helped me to lean back against them. I was lightheaded from the act of sitting up, but the sensation was soon gone and I could once more focus on my 'nurse'.

"I'm sorry."

They were the first words out of my mouth.

"Don't say that, Luce," he responded almost instantly, still perched beside me on the bed. "I understand. I just don't want you to run off again…okay?"

"That's a promise," I said, chuckling weakly. "It doesn't seem to end well for any of us."

He cracked a grin, but it was nothing near the grins I loved seeing on his face. The childlike grin that made him look just a little idiotic was gone, replaced by this mature, subdued grin that made me wonder if it was my fault he wasn't quite as cheerful. It probably was, and I felt terrible for it, but there was nothing I could do to change it all now.

"Lucy, I—"

"She's here!" Happy burst in through the door, a familiar elderly woman not far behind. They must really want me to be okay if they called in Porlyusica. And not far behind the healing woman was the now sixteen-year-old Wendy, carrying a sweaty and exhausted Charle in her arms. Charle must have carried her all the way back here.

"You're lucky to be alive," were the first words out of the blunt woman's mouth.

"I know," I replied, placing my hands in my lap.

"I should hope so," Porlyusica snorted. "I don't know what to do with Magical Overflow, you know."

"No one does," I said softly, my worst fears confirmed—even Porlyusica didn't know what to do.

"You do," the woman said unexpectedly, and I raised my eyes to look at her incredulously. "Or you at least know how to slow the effects. I think it's all about learning how to control all of that excess energy. The more you work with it, the better you'll be at controlling it."

"How am I supposed to figure out how to work with all of it at once?" I asked her, avoiding Natsu's avid gaze as I spotted Wendy treating Charle. "There's so much magic—I never thought I could have so much magical potential."

"It's true that Magical Overflow occurs when the true potential is released before one is ready," Porlyusica huffed, "but that's before one is ready. It doesn't mean that you can't adapt to it once it's already begun. If you had that much magical potential to begin with, then you have the capacity to control it. All we need to do is make sure you practice."

"'We'?"

"What, you think you can figure it out on your own now?"

I flushed at Porlyusica's tone, averting my gaze. When the healer next spoke up, it was just a touch gentler.

"With Makarov's permission, I'm going to take you back with me," I was astounded at this little piece of news. "There's a small cottage near my own that you can use while you're there, and each day we'll go out and you will train. I'll just observe for the first few days and then I will make suggestions. Remember that this is only an experimental technique, though. You could still die."

"She'll do it," someone spoke for me before I could even open my mouth. I turned to Natsu, eyes wide in surprise. He then continued, "Whatever it takes. But I'm coming, too."

I was surprised that the self-proclaimed hater of humans didn't protest.

"We leave as soon as Makarov is back," the healer said simply, turning and striding out the door.

And this, I realized, was all just a new beginning. It would be difficult, certainly, but if I worked hard enough I could eventually be all but cured of Magical Overflow. It no longer seemed to matter that it was experimental or that the possibility of death still hung over my head—I had a hope again, and the sooner I completed this training of sorts, I would be able to come home…for good. I would be able to tell Natsu how I felt about him and not have to worry about hurting him in the long run because of the death that would come sooner rather than later…maybe I could make him feel the same!

And then I realized I'd temporarily forgotten something important. I looked at Natsu, eyes wide. It seemed to worry him for a moment, and he looked like he was preparing to ask what was wrong when I finally spoke up.

"I need to pack!"

BWAHAHAHAHAHA. What a lovely place to end, don't you think?

Can you guess where the epilogue's going to pick up? I think it might be a little bit obvious…but oh, well. I hope you guys have enjoyed this so far! Stay tuned for the final five chapters; the epilogue.

And just a note: urging me to update faster does not help. I'm sorry if I'm going too slow, but there are a few other things that get in the way. Like The Hunger Games—I read the first two books two weeks ago and the third one last week. And then I read Pride and Prejudice on Thursday night...and then there's even school—that can really get in the way. Not to mention I almost failed my last math test.

Anyway, thanks for reading!

ALSO. The epilogue will not be uploaded separately - I'll be putting it on the end of this. Just so you know. Haha.