Lucy

I was in the kitchen doing some cleaning, trying to keep myself distracted. It had been 2 days since we got the cards and so far no one knew anything new. I didn't honestly expect anything to come from the damn things but I still hoped that there would be something. Since there was nothing, here I was, standing at a sink and washing a plate for the third time today and letting my mind go somewhere I shouldn't have. "FUCK" I screamed and slammed the plate to the ground, causing it to shatter. "FUCK FUCK FUCK!" I kept screaming and finding things to throw until Natsu ran in and started shouting at me to stop. He eventually had to lock my arms to my waist in order to stop me.

We stood there, his arms around me with my back against his chest, both of us breathing hard and neither of us brave enough to break the silence first. Finally, I had to speak. "Why didn't you save her." It was harsh and I knew it would hurt. But nothing could hurt more than my heart right then.

He pushed back from me and gave me hurt eyes. "What are you talking about? I tried to!"

"Not hard enough! You always saved me! Every time I was in danger you were there, ready to catch me when I fell! Why not her? You should have saved her!" I wanted to stop, but the words just kept pouring out of my mouth. I also wanted to cry, but for some reason the tears would not come. I stood there, watching the hurt flow across my husband's face and until it changed to anger.

He pushed me back against the counter and held me there. "And why didn't you keep her! She was in YOUR arms!" he almost screamed in my face.

I pushed back roughly and moved away from the counter. By the time I got to the living room I realized he was following me. When he touched my arm I slapped it away. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" I screamed, shoving him back again. He wouldn't back off. He pushed me back against the wall and pinned me, my arms up above my head. He pressed his body to mine so that we were touching all the way down to our feet. I tried to bring my knee up to hit him, but he was too close.

There is an instant, when one emotion bleeds into another so well that you almost don't even recognize it. It's almost like when you are caught up in a good book, you are so into it that you don't even see the day wearing on, and then you look up and day has turned into night. One moment, I was so angry I wanted hurt him as much as I was hurting, the next our bodies were connected totally. We didn't even bother with half of our clothes.

It started with us against the wall, but then somehow we found ourselves on the floor next to the couch. He kept my arms above my head at first, but when I dug my nails into his hands he let go. I found my relief when my nails found his back and I tore ribbons down my spine, screaming out every emotion that was running through me. I let it happen, because if it didn't, then there would have been nothing left of us.

I don't know how much time passed before we were just lying on the floor next to each other. I think it was between round two when the rest of our clothes vanished. Natsu was finally breathing normally again but I didn't have the heart to talk to him just yet.

"It's ok." I jumped a little when he spoke. He touched the back of my neck, then gently ran his hand through my hair. "I know you didn't mean those things, or at least, that you don't fully mean them."

I rolled over and took his hand in mine. "I'm sorry." I turned my head so that his hand caressed the side of my face. "I am angry, but not at you. I'm just angry that after 6 months, I was finally starting to get back to myself and then this new thing happens and we are still nowhere when it comes to them."

He pulled me close to him and kissed the top of my head while I wrapped my legs around one of his. "I know. Maybe this really will lead us somewhere. Or, maybe this person will send another card or something with more information. I know it's not much, but it's better than nothing." He pulled me closer to him and rubbed my side.

"I think about her every day."

"I do too."

"I can't help but wonder if she's safe, or if she's…" I couldn't finish that thought. I didn't want to believe that one, but no matter how hard I tried to force it out of my mind it kept crawling back in.

"Don't" he said, his breath heavy on the top of my head. "Don't even go there. We WILL get her back! You hear me!"

I nodded and buried my face in his shoulder. I wanted to believe I would get her back, but somewhere deep down was the fear that I would never see her face again.

Natsu

An hour or so later we decided to head to the guild and get something to eat there. Lucy was still too emotional so I didn't want her around fire and glass. It's a good thing Mira is always glad to serve us there, otherwise we would have probably starved the last several months. We took our place at a table just a few feet from the bar to wait and then Levy sat down next to Lucy.

"Well, you look about at beat up as I feel." She told her. Lucy's face turned a bright crimson before she covered it with her hands. I felt the grin on my own face before I could hide it. Levy looked flat out confused. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"No." I told our friend, the laughter bubbling up. "She's just remembering something from earlier." I stretched my arm across Lucy's shoulders and kissed the top of her head and laughed.

"I'm sorry." Levy said.

"Don't be. She's just not used that that kind of thing yet."

She popped her head up so fast that it collided with my jaw and sent my head rocking back. I tried to curse, but then I just found it too amusing and began to laugh. Lucy turned outraged eyes to me, and I just laughed even harder. She slapped my shoulder lightly, warning me to behave, so I raised my hands in surrender. "I'm going to go wait at the bar for our food." I removed myself from the temptation of more laughter and sat myself at the bar.

I was still giggling to myself when Gray put himself next to me. "What the hell is so funny?" I looked over at him and the laughter came back with gusto when I saw the expression on his face. "WHAT?" he shouted.

"I'm sorry." I forced the words out in between the bits of laughing, "I'm sorry, it's just your face, and then with.." I pointed back to Lucy sitting with Levy, her face was still bright red. "I just couldn't help myself."

I thought he was going to deck me, but he didn't. He turned in his seat to face the guild hall, leaning back against the bar with his elbows holding him up. "I get it, you need the release."

Call me immature, but I laughed at that. I mean, full out laughing. I think the first sound that came out of my mouth sounded like some kind of animal. I know it didn't sound human. I don't remember falling off of the stool, but when I was on the floor Gray walked away in a huff. Leaving me to my insanity. That had to be what was happening to me. There was no other explanation.

When I finally got control of myself, I stayed on the floor. I was staring up at the ceiling when I had to wonder if I really was losing it. The rest of the guild was looking at me like I was a wild animal about to bite them, Lucy was even looking over at me like she had no idea who I was. But then I remembered what Gray said to me before I lost it. 'you need the release', he was right. These last six months of anger, and heartache, and so many other emotions and now I was finally letting myself feel something else. I guess it had to come out all at once.

I sat up and looked around again. There was a stupid grin on my face when I saw Lucy. She was giving me those eyes that said I was a moron, but I was her moron. I made sure I gave her a look back that said and don't you forget it when something fell in my lap.

I glanced down and stood up so fast I forgot I was at the bar. My head hit the underside and I went back down. I scooted forward enough so that I was out from under it then stood again, my head spinning. "GUYS!" I shouted out, waving the envelope in the air. It was just like the others, with the same wax seal and everything.

Lucy ran up to me with Levy right behind her. Makarov was standing on the stairs watching me with Laxus right behind him. "Open it." He said, his words echoing in the now silent guild hall.

I opened it, and then pulled out the card. I stared at it blankly, very much confused. "What does it say?" Lucy asked, she was clinging to Levy and staring at the back of the card as though she was trying to see through it.

I turned it around to show her and then she widened her eyes. There was only one word on this card that was addressed to Fairy Tail.

Catch

Nashi

I was sitting on the couch while Lila played with my hair and watched while Simon tried to show Elena how tie her shoe. She was getting better with everything, but for some reason she was having a hard time with her shoelaces. We all did our part with working on getting the feral out of Elena but Simon was the best with her. I guess it's because they were brother and sister, his patience with her was amazing. I was just glad when she started using the bathroom instead of going outside. I mean she was old enough to know these things before she was sent to that place, but living there alone for 5 years does its damage.

I closed my eyes when I felt the brush scrape along my scalp. I never knew why but I found that relaxing. Maybe it was all of the violence I was used to, making pain nothing new to me, but I decided a while ago to stop questioning everything so much. Whatever happened, whatever I felt, it just was. This was who I was, and I was learning to accept her.

I heard Elena snarl and I opened my eyes. She had thrown the shoe across the room again. Simon sighed and then got up to retrieve it. "Maybe you should take a break for the day." I told him when he passed by me.

"I can't." He bent down and picked the shoe up then walked calmly back to his sister and put it back in her foot. "I have to make sure she's ready for when we go home." He smiled at her but she stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry at him. "I know you don't understand everything," he told her "but you will one day." He took both of her hands and held them back down to her shoe and began again.

"I wish I had your patience, Simon." I felt Lila put my hair in a ponytail then sat down next to me on the couch.

"You could, if you worked at it." He gave me a serious face then, "It took a lot for me to get like this. Besides, she's my sister. It wouldn't be right to be anything else with her."

There was a commotion at the door that caught all of our attention. I sat forward to see and then the rest of my friends came through, and all of them were yelling at each other. I couldn't tell what they were saying though because everyone's voice was trampling over the other's. All I could really tell was that all of them were angry with each other.

When they got to the middle of the room, Elena got ahold of the tension and began scream with the loud voices.

Silver turned to Simon and yelled at him to shut his sister up, which pissed Simon off and then he was yelling at Silver to not talk to him like that. When I stood to leave the room I ran into Mina, who then turned to yell at me for getting in her way. I tried to apologize and back away but she wouldn't have any of that. Before she had the chance to hit me though Castor caught her arm and the pushed her away.

They started to argue again and then I ran my eyes across all of them and felt something deep inside me snap. I had been in tough situation before, but with those it was always me against some stranger. It was kill or be killed. But now, it was my friends. We had all been through some serious shit and here we were tearing each other to shreds for no reason.

I screamed and suddenly my entire body was covered in flames. "SHUT UP!"

They shut up alright. All nine of their faces turned to me with a mix of emotions. I didn't care. I didn't survive that damn death arena and find real friends just to watch them destroy themselves. I was about to do something, what it was I didn't know, I really was just winging it. But then my fire when out on its own. I felt a breeze above me and looked up.

It looked like there was a mass of swirling clouds on the ceiling that had a flow of air to go with it. I never took my eyes off of it, because I knew what it was. I didn't know if the other knew, but I did. I stood up straight and crossed my arms across my chest. I sensed the others moving, but I didn't know what they were doing. I didn't dare take my eyes off of that thing.

When I felt me feet lift off the ground I closed my eyes and prayed that I ended up somewhere better that the arena. I couldn't do that again.