I do not own fairy tail

Chapter 10- Her Goodbye

"Umm…Lucy, about that, I'm not what you really think. Im Natsu but-"

"..."

"What do you mean?"

Natsu scratched his head glancing away from her tear streaked eyes. He didn't know how to say it without hurting her even further, but he didn't want to lie either. He looked at Happy who was near the door still not stirring when they came in. Lucy followed Natsu's gaze while she wiped her tears with the back of her hands. Her eyes enlarge upon seeing the shaking blue exceed, his head bowed down while he hold his head in his paws.

"Happy?" Lucy softly whispered reaching out her hand to the exceed. Happy looked up, his furry face was wet with tears. "Lusshy…" he whispered wiping his tears.

"Lucy!" he ran glomping Lucy. He buried his face in her chest hugging her while Lucy cuddled him in return. Natsu just sat there, stunned.

"Lucy you're finally awake! You're awake now Lucy..." he bawled looking at her face

"Yeah Happy, I'm here now. Don't cry" she smiled while touching his head. She looked at Natsu while she embraced the exceed in her arms. She slowly observes Natsu's features, he now wears a different set of clothes and his hair is slightly longer than she remembers but he still have his tan and well-built body, his handsome face and his wicked smile. She was about to open her lips when she remembers a tiny little thing. She shifted Happy in her arms and reached out her hand to the crumpled paper beside her. She looked at it closely then shifted her gaze on the request filled ceiling.

"Um, Natsu? How old are you?" she asked watching at him.

"Umm..." he rapidly moved his eyes between Lucy and now a sleeping Happy.

"Well, I just turned 21..." he whispered as he anxiously combed his hair with his hands.

Lucy quickly got tensed "That can't be right. He and I were both 21 when the war started" she thought. She observed Natsu and noticed his scarf was missing and his canine teeth are not sharp and pointy as she remembers. She trembles "Natsu... ca-can I see your right arm" she asked, worried at the revelation she was about to witness.

Not knowing what to do, Natsu followed and slowly slid his long sleeves up his arm.

Lucy loudly gasped awakening Happy in her lap. She brought out her quivering hand and trace Natsu's arm. Natsu shuttered at the process, his spine tingling at the sensation but Lucy didn't noticed it, as she suddenly rotated Happy to looked at his back.

Tears filled her eyes once again. She stood up and walked away, her backed turn against them.

"Who are you" she whispered.

"About that... umm" Natsu stood up and walked over the bed, touching the soft mattress "I'm Natsu ... but not the Natsu you knew" he admitted.

"And Happy?" she asked.

"Sorry Lushy" the exceed replied.

"..."

"Ho-how long did I sleep" sobs tormented her delicate figure once again.

They knew what was happening, even though they cannot clearly hear what was being said, they knew how heartbreaking it must be for Lucy. Being stuck in time for so long, all the people she knew are all gone… technically.

Loke can't handle it anymore, he knew his master is in an awfully lot of distress. But he can't do anything about it. Unless they can break the rune's code or he was summon inside the cabin. He didn't want to intrude their little moment inside, but Lucy...she's hurting. Loke banged his hands on the door covered by the rune and he screamed on top of his lungs.

"Lucy!"

"LUCY!"

"I'M HERE! PLEASE… please, don't cry"

Shifting and paddling of feet can be heard. The door opened with a loud screeched, inside stood a disheveled sniveling Lucy on her feet with a solemn Natsu and sobbing Happy staring at the back.

"Lo-Loke? Please tell me that it's really you- plea-please…" she sobs staring at the man.

Tears filled Loke's eyes as she eyed his master. He was both glad and devastated by their condition. His tears flowed down his cheeks when he bobbed his head at the girl; he reached out his hands to her "It's me Lucy, only me."

A new surge of fresh tears stream down Lucy's eyes when she heard his confession, she ran and accepts the man's heartfelt embrace. Hugging and sobbing in his chest while Loke caressed her head in his hands muttering comforting words to her ears.

Natsu just stood there dumbfounded, he felt sick and hurt. He hate what he's seeing, he wanted to be the ones who's hugging Lucy, who comforts her, who lo-… wait what? Natsu clutched his hands to his tightening chest, he doesn't understand what he's feeling and he didn't like it…he hates it.

Lucy moved her face to eyed Loke's face when she noticed a person…no… people watching them. She gradually shifted her face off to the back and gasped. Behind Loke stood her friends… her family. Freed, Levi, Erza and Gray were all watching her with grave eyes.

"No, no, no, no!... Please stop! Please" she pleaded, clutching Loke even harder.

Loke sobs and with a burst of golden light, they were gone.

Ezra wanted to punch somebody, she really do. She felt tormented by what's happening and she felt that it was their fault. But what shocked her most were her eyes, the pain and agony of those eyes while they looked at her. She too, wants to hold and comfort her but when she was about to move... she vanished.

She examined Natsu who was standing at the door and staring at space. "You alright Natsu?" she asked.

"I-I..." he stammered, clenching his chest real tightly "I gotta go" he ran with Happy following behind.

"Oi, where are you goin-"

"Leave him Gray. We don't know what happened inside. Let's leave him for a while" Erza interrupted shaking her head. She sat on the picnic bench and said "I'm going back to the others. I don't want to leave them for too long" she said while she watched her friends.

"I'm heading back too. My head hurts. I want to think things over" Gray said rubbing his neck.

"Levy and Freed?" Erza asked.

"I want to stay here and look at the ruins. Also I want to check out the Runes" Freed said while he observed the house and walked near it.

"Then I'm staying here too!" Levy said. "I'm worried about Natsu... especially Lucy" she whispered following Freed behind.

Erza sighed looking off the distance "I'm confused Gray. What are we supposed to do? We came here to look for answers and then-"

"Don't worry Erza. I have a feeling that we are meant to be here. Let's just wait for things to fall into pieces and then we'll act" Gray answered back. "And Lucy, I think she's the answer to our problems".

"No, she IS the answer" Erza stood and walked forward. "We'll just have to convince her to come with us."

"Yeah. Good luck with that."

"Is this the place Loke?"

"Yes, Princess. This was your resting place."

"By how you said it...it seems like I died."

"No, that's not what I've meant. I-"

"Say, Loke. Why did you... not let me die...?

"Lucy, I-"

"No. It's alright..."

"..."

"Loke… ca-can you leave me for a while? I want to think things over"

"..."

"Su-summon me if you need me"

"I will. Thank you…"

"For everything…"

With a flash Loke disappeared back to the celestial realm. Lucy fell down to her knees and sob. Dammit she didn't want to cry anymore but the tears just won't stop. Her hand traced the wooden surface of the tree. This was her shelter for years...no... for centuries. Her mind can't seem to grasp what's happening. She's supposed to die, she gave her life to subdue Acnologia, but she lived... she lived while the others die. They left her... they all left her... alone.

"Why" she cried, pounding the tree's surface.

"WHY!?" she screamed, pouring her heart out in pain and despair.

"Why did you all let me live, if you're just going to leave me behind!

"Why..."

She hugged her knees together, trying to comfort herself. "If I died 500 years ago... maybe we are all together now...living happily in this lifetime" she whispered when she remembered Natsu and the others all staring at her earlier on.

"It's so painful Natsu...It hurts" she weeps. "What am I going to do now? It seems like yesterday that we were all together... But now"

"You're here but at the same time you're not" she sobbed.

"Now I know how it feels, to be left by the people you hold dear" she whispered looking her pink guild insignia in her hand as she remembers the 7 years gap when they disappeared during an s-class examination, leaving the other guild members behind for years.

"I want to die... please let me die... I want to be with you guys" she sobs.

"You already are" someone replied back.

She stilled, she knows that voice, that warm deep voice that she loves so much, the voice that always comforts her, laugh with her, shouts with her and cry with her. The voice of her nakama, best friend and the man that she loves... Natsu.

She looked up from her fetal position to the man that she misses so much "Why- I don't underst-"

"If you die, then no one gonna welcome you out there 'cause we're all here" he said while he plopped down next to her, placing his back into the tree's trunk.

"Well... I don't really know what's out there, it's just a thought" he looked at her.

"What are you doing here?" Lucy asked turning to place her back at the trunk like Natsu. She sniffed while she rubs her face with her hands.

"Here…" Natsu hands her his handkerchief while he looks above the tree, blushing at what he was doing. "You look weird when you cry"

"Wha-" she staggered. "I'm not weird!"

"Yes you are! Weirdo" he grinned. She stared back thinking of a witty comeback but got distracted by his smile. "Oh... Natsu" she weeps.

"Oi, don't cry!" he panicked.

"I can't help it" sobbing in his handkerchief "You remind me so much of him"

Natsu sighed. He placed his hand in her head "Because, I am him and at the same time I am me. He and I are the same but also different" he thought.

"You know what" he said looking at her crying figure.

"I think... I'm really smart in my past life" he chucked stroking Lucy's head.

Lucy looked up to him "What" she murmured.

"Because I promise you back then that I will be back" he looked up to the sky.

"And here I am" he smiled.

"..."

"I'm back Lucy. Not like what you've expected but its close, right?" trying to comfort her. He shifted to his feet and stood up.

"I don't know what happened in the past. I don't remember things but promise... I'll try and make it up to you in this lifetime" he grinned at her, sunlight illuminating his handsome face.

"And I pr-promise... that"

"I'll be back"

"No matter what it takes"

"We may be not be meant together in this lifetime"

"But I will try my very best to the next"

"For us to be finally together"

"So wait for me o-okay?"

Her eyes widen for she remembered that promise in her dream, her tears continues to flow down... Natsu you idiot...

"So help me, okay Luce?" he held out his hand for her to take.

"...Luce..." she bitterly thought.

She looked up to him and nodded while she accepted his hand. She stood up and smiled at him.

"By the way... I'm Natsu... Natsu Drackonheart" he grinned.

"I-m Lucy... Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail."she grinned back, her tears finally stopped.

.

"You may not be the Natsu that I knew, but you're still Natsu. Thank you for being with me always... I love you"

"Good bye... Natsu Dragneel..."

.

/TBC

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A/N:

Thank you for all the views and reviews (you know who you are hahaha). Sadly I'm now having a writer's block, gah! I'll really appreciate it if you guys can give me some ideas.

Thank you...

Bye, for now.