Hi guys! Sry this came out late, but I was busy on Tuesday and I couldn't get the chapter written and looked over any earlier than 11 o'clock in the middle of the night T^T Gomen, and the chapter turned out so short too XD

Anyways, a couple things I wanna say. A gigantic, massive thank you to BubblesFullbuster my new Beta Reader (Hell yes) She's did an amazing work on editing today's update and you guys should check her out. I also wanted to thank you guys for so much support, 100 followers?! And 10,000 views?! WHAT?! Seriously, when I had checked the story yesterday evening, I think my brain short-circuited. XD

Ok, enough of my rambling. Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 16 (Death Drop)

Lucy's POV

When you lose everything you've ever loved in your life, the pain hits you like a sledgehammer. It leaves you crumpled in the heap of broken pieces of your life. And even then, you don't quite know how to glue them back together, and you begin to doubt you ever will.

I've always thought death was like that.

But death didn't hurt, the pain of losing yourself was worse. But waiting for death was whole another story all together.

Present moment

It felt like the world had disappeared beneath me. I was airborne for at least half a second before the drop began. It was fast - one minute I was standing on another irritatingly similar-to-everything platform and the next, I was falling.

My hands and feet acted on instinct as they scrabbled for something to hold on to, the edge of the platform, the doorframe, anything that kept me from falling to the velvety darkness below. It never hit me that maybe the others didn't make it.

Suddenly my hand hit something solid and grabbed on to the smooth edge. My fingers dented ridges into them and held on fast. I swear, under any other circumstances, I would have felt the pain that exploded throughout my fingers while I was digging them into the platform. But at that moment it didn't matter to me.

I stared at my fingers and tried my best to bring my other hand up to offer more support when I climbed on, but it seemed only my left hand could get anywhere in this situation, leaving me hanging dangerously over the platform.

Somewhere, someone was yelling my name, but they sounded distant, almost like they were blocked out by cotton balls.

Suddenly someone was yelling, a high pitched scream that rang of complete and utter terror. A shape fell next to me, all white and pink.

Before I could even begin to think about who it could have been, I had grabbed ahold. Not even caring about the fact that maybe the person might just be enough to weigh me down and send us both falling down to the hard concrete below.

I quickly looked down to see who I had saved, only to meet a pair of lapis lazuli eyes. My first thought was Mirajane, but as I looked closer I realised that this wasn't the oldest of the Strauss family after all.

Lisanna Strauss.

I felt my eyes widen as I stared at her. My grip seemed to loosen and she screamed again, tears bordering her eyes. Before I could say anything more, a darting figure jumped into view underneath us. "LISANNA!" He was screaming as he laid his eyes on the white haired girl I had just saved.

Then his eyes met mine and he looked away as if I didn't existed. I couldn't hold the anger that burst through my chest as he turned his gaze towards Lisanna. Nothing in his eyes betrayed what he felt - he was simply blank.

"Lisanna!" He yelled from his stance below us. "Natsu." I heard Lisanna whisper, her voice a little dazed. Like she couldn't believe he was here, or that she was alive as a matter of fact.

"Jump down! I'll catch you." Natsu said just loud enough so both of us could hear. He held out his hands and beckoned for Lisanna to jump down to him. I couldn't help but feel angry.

What? Was he going to save Lisanna and just leave?

Well, what do you want him to do? She is part of his team.

And I'm his friend.

I thought you dismissed that term a long time ago.

I didn't get to answer my thoughts because Lisanna slipped out of my grip at that moment.

She was airborne for a minute, her hair flying about her, her top flying over her stomach before she landed roughly in Natsu's arms. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of absolute horror as I stared at the two. Something in me screamed that I should have been in Lisanna place, but it was silenced as soon as another person appeared above me.

Sting.

He looked down at me for a minute, his eyes a mix of worry, shock and something else I couldn't understand. "Lucy!" He screamed, relief colouring his voice. "Guys, I found her." He called behind his back before extending an arm out to me. I gladly accepted, but not before I looked back at Natsu, who was looking back at me too.

We stared at each other for a minute, his eyes narrowed in anger as he gazed at me ascending back up onto the platforms. I felt my heart give a little jump as he stared. Was Natsu... Jealous?

I didn't get to answer the question, because by the time I had gotten back up on the platform, he was gone.

Normal POV

Lisanna didn't know what she felt as she trailed slowly behind Natsu as they walked back to where the others were. He had already told her about how he had found her and asked if she was alright.

She was fine of course, well, that's what she thought.

She couldn't understand why the Celestial Mage she had hated so much, had, of all things, saved her. She could tell that Lucy herself was surprised that she had saved her too. But it didn't matter - Lisanna couldn't help but feel guilty.

Guilty that she had ever hated the kind-hearted Mage, that she could have ever thought she was ever a threat to her. That she had let jealousy and her own love for Natsu Dragneel control her decisions.

If she had a way, she would have taken everything back, turned back time if she had to. Because it was suddenly bluntly clear, she had no right to hate Lucy Heartfilia - she had no right to even begin to hate her, because even after all Lisanna had done to the blonde Mage, she had still saved her life.

Lucy had forgiven her.

Lisaana hugged herself tighter as they arrived at the platform where the rest of Team Fairy Tail A was waiting. As soon as they saw the white haired Mage, their eyes brightened up considerably, making Lisanna feel even worse.

She was a terrible person. She didn't deserve friends, or family. If anyone deserved it, it was Lucy Heartfilia, the person she had stolen everything from.

Lucy's POV

My mother had always hated the word 'Hate'. She said 'hate' was everything 'love' was and wasn't at the same time. She had said that to love someone meant hating the person with equal passion. And that... that was the true meaning of love.

I never knew what she meant, until now.

I was walking behind the main part of my team, my eyes staring at the floor. They had already asked repeatedly if I was alright. And I had said yes. Because I was alright... Wasn't I?

There had been no more crazy turning up and down now for at least twenty minutes. Part of me was hoping for forty minutes, but I wasn't sure if I was going to get it.

After Sting had pulled me up from underneath the platform (unceremoniously, I might add) he quickly explained to me what happened, including the part where Libra had caught everyone and had somehow gotten everyone standing up again.

I was only half listening, even when they said they had figured out how the maze worked, even when we were nearing the exit I wasn't quite.. There. Even when we were awarded first ones to get out, I wasn't there.

Why? Because although I didn't fall to my death that day, I had already lost a little bit of me that seemingly made me who I was.

My hatred for Fairy Tail was gone, because I realised, the whole time, I had never stopped loving them in the first place.

Normal POV

1 July, X791

The first day of the Grand Magic Games was a long one, for both Fairy Tail and Sabertooth. They both had their share of victories and losses - some, admittedly worse than others.

Many overcame their personal limits, some had to face the very thing they feared most. Some will finally have to face up to their past, and realise for themselves who they really were.

But as the days pass, July the 7th comes ever closer.

The day Zeref would show the world what destruction really was.

So? What do you think? I didn't want to use the 'The day fate defeated us all' thing because I didn't want to use everything that happened in the anime/manga. So yeah! Read and review.