Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail!
Is anyone else freaking out about what's happening in the manga? Seriously, that CAN'T happen. It better not happen. My worry is that it said the next chapter would be called "Lone Journey"
Thanks for the reviews!
Italics- memories
Regular- is, as you know, the story
Read and review! Enjoy!
GUILD HALL
No one dared to talk to Natsu, or even sit with him. They all had the feeling that any little problem, or even just saying hello, would result in him getting angry. Why was this? He sat at a table in the corner of the guild, letting the shadows from the walls overtake him. He wasn't being his usual energetic, bouncy self. He was avoiding everyone, even Happy at the moment. Everyone could tell Natsu was worried. Every so often, he would glance up above him, knowing that the infirmary was there. Maybe that's why he chose to sit there.
Natsu himself sat alone in silence, sighing in defeat a few times. He closed his eyes, letting his happy memories before everything happened rush through his head. Their shared memories.
Natsu chuckled as he pushed the window to her apartment open, already getting prepared for her usual reaction, which was kicking him out, literally. He was, once again, visiting his favorite Celestial Mage. When he didn't see her at first, he panicked. She was supposed to be there. He had expected to find her at her desk, writing her novel vigorously. He walked deeper into the apartment, eyes on high alert, searching for anything that moved. His ears sharpened so he would know if something made a sound.
When he heard a small splash of water, he knew where she was. The one other place he should have known to look before panicking. The bathroom. He shook his head at himself for getting so worked up as he walked back into her room. "Might as well get comfortable while she's in there." Natsu reasoned to himself. He jumped onto her bed and laid down with his heads under his head. "I wonder how long she's been in there for..." Natsu pondered, giving the bathroom door a glance. Natsu sighed, already bored by just waiting for Lucy to finish.
"I wish I brought Happy with me. Why didn't I?" Natsu started to talk to himself to fill the boredom. Oh, he remembered. "That's right. He wanted to stay at the guild. No idea why, though." Natsu shifted his position to lay on his side, facing the bathroom door. Now, he would see her right away. He hoped she had clothes with her inside, but why would she? It was her own house and room. Not that Natsu cared.
His ears perked up when he heard the draining of water from the tub. A grin appeared on his face, happy that he would get to see his nest friend. He saw the door knob turn and heard the creak of the door. She walked out wearing only a towel without noticing him. "Hey Luce!" He happy said, sitting up and waving at the blonde haired girl. Her head snapped to him.
Lucy was surprised to say the least, but she should have expected this. It happens so often that she should just bring clothes into the bathroom with her. "What are you doing here?" Lucy asked angrily, forgetting that she was only in a towel for the time being. She had a Fire Mage to beat up.
"I wanted to see you." Natsu said, not noticing the blush he had created with those five words.
"Couldn't you have waited until I came to the guild?" she asked, not ready to let it go.
"You're usually at the guild at this time so I got worried." Natsu answered. Lucy groaned, half blaming herself for this happening. "I overslept, Natsu. That happens." She told him. He nodded at her, glad that she calmed down and didn't feel the need to 'Lucy kick' him out of her apartment.
"Oh, and Lucy?" Natsu asked as she sat down in her desk chair.
"What?" She asked, turning to face him. He looked at her with a goofy grin. "You really should put some clothes on." He told her unabashed.
Lucy quickly scanned herself before shrieking in realization. "Get out!" She screamed as she literally kicked him out of her apartment. Maybe he thought too soon about having calmed her down, or maybe bringing up that she wasn't wearing clothes while he was in the room was what angered her once again.
Natsu chuckled slightly at the memory. That was before he knew Lucy was his mate. Before all of their adventures. It happened a few weeks after he had meet her. Just before Phantom Lord attacked and stole her away. Before they had met Gajeel and Juvia, and Wendy and Carla, who were now always in their lives.
Everyone stared at Natsu, worried. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts, which was new. He never thinks.
Natsu let a soft smile appear on his face, confusing everyone who were carefully watching him.
Lucy groaned. "I can't believe we didn't get the reward. We completed the job!" She complained. Natsu grinned apologetically at her. "Sorry Luce, it's my fault." He said while rubbing the back of his head. He hadn't been thinking about the reward when he rushed into battle, which resulted in him not holding back, which caused him to burn down the building, including others around it, they were in.
"That's true!" She angrily said, rounding on him. "Next time don't destroy everything as you complete the job!" She scolded. She probably wouldn't have minded so much if she didn't need to pay her rent. She dropped to her knees. "Now what am I going to do about my rent?" She quietly asked. Natsu frowned, mad at himself for upsetting her.
Natsu smiled down at her and held out a hand, asking "Why don't we go on another job then, Luce?" Lucy looked up with suspecting eyes.
"You'll probably just destroy everything again. Maybe I should just go with Gray for one. Then again, Juvia might kill me for that..." She rambled her thoughts. Natsu's eyes widened when she said that she should go with Gray. Alone. He started to panic. He had just figured out that Lucy was his mate and now she's trying to go somewhere with someone else. If that wasn't bad enough, it was a boy she was trying to go with.
"No! I promise I won't destroy anything! Just come on another job with me!" Natsu said quickly, grabbing onto her shoulders. Lucy chuckled, staring straight into his eyes. "That's all I wanted to hear, Natsu." She said with a soft smile that made his heart flutter. He grinned back, glad she wasn't going with Gray.
"So, how about that job?" Lucy asked joyfully.
"Let's go pick one!" Natsu shouted, running in the direction of the guild. Lucy followed right behind him.
"What do you think he's thinking about?" Macao asked around. Everyone had a guess, and that was Lucy. "Probably about Lucy. Maybe all the happy times?" Romeo said unsurely. Mira smiled softly, glad that the depressed Dragon Slayer was distracted and a bit happier.
"I wish he could see her." Levy whispered sadly. It was really taking a toll on Natsu, and it had only been an hour since they told him.
Natsu heard what everyone was saying, but didn't tell them. He focused on the memories that Lucy and he shared. The ran through his mind like movie scenes. As the memories played in his mind, they started getting worse. Happy times turned into angry or sad moments.
Natsu grabbed onto one of the Phantom Lord's mages. He really wanted to get Gajeel, but he didn't have time for that. They captured Lucy. They took one of his nakama from him. They took his partner, best friend, a family member, from him. He was not going to let them get away with that, and he was not going to let them keep her.
"Hey you..." Natsu trailed off, letting his head catch on fire. "You and me are gonna talk." Natsu finished angrily. The mage looked at him in fear. Natsu dragged him out of the guild and down a path. "Tell me. Where is Lucy?" Natsu questioned without looking at the mage. "H-h-h-how would I know? Who is she?" The mage asked. Natsu lit him on fire, not having the patience for this. The mage screamed in pain.
"Say it." Natsu said shortly. The mage denied knowing where she was. "If any more of my friends' are hurt..." Natsu said as the fire got hotter. He finally turned to see the mage withering in pain, glaring at the mage. "You'll be nothing but a pile of ashes..." Natsu growled the threat out. "I never heard of the wrench!" The mage shouted. The name he had called Lucy angered him even more so his fire got hotter. "I mean, I don't know about the lady!" The mage tried to save himself. It wouldn't have worked if Natsu wasn't in a hurry.
"Oh, that so? Too bad. Time to make charcoal, I guess." He said, and he was planning on it. The mage didn't help him.
"But our headquarters is up ahead. She may be there..." THe mage tried to save himself.
As soon as Natsu heard that, he was off. He dropped the badly burned mage and took off as fast as he could. "NATSU!" He heard after running for a mile or two. His ears perked up and he looked in the direction he heard it from to have a panic attack. Lucy was falling from the sky. She was going to crash into the ground. Natsu picked up his speed, desperate to save Lucy.
"Lucy!" He screamed, leaping off the ground and grabbing her. He spun so he would be on bottom and get the brunt of the landing. "You're nuts, you know that?" He asked.
Natsu glared angrily at the table, remembering Phantom Lord. That was one of the worst moments he had ever experienced. Yet, there was another that was worse. One that made him cry.
Everyone saw Natsu scowling and wondered what was wrong. "Should we ask him?" Wakaba whispered. Mira shook her head. "No, let's let him be for the time being." Mira said, glancing sadly at him.
"I don't really follow you. But who is this person that interferes?" Natsu questioned curiously. Rogue opened his closed eyes wide and angrily said "You...Lucy Heartfilia!" A dark ball of magic surrounded his hand and he pushed it toward the blonde Celestial Mage. The shadow magic transformed into a pointy sword heading straight to Lucy.
"Lucy!" Natsu called, turning to look at her. Everything moved in slow motion as Natsu tried to run to grab the sword. He was too late and only got the part behind the point. A person wearing a cloak jumped in front of Lucy. The sword hit the person, causing the hood to fall down.
Natsu, Wendy, Lucy, Loke, Happy, Lily and Carla all stared in horror at what happened. "H-Hey! You!" Lucy shouted, not believing what she just saw. "Lucy!" Happy yelled as he ran toward the fallen mage. Natsu shook at he stared in silence at the scene. Rogue's jaw dropped. "There are two Lucys?" He asked in confusion.
The Lucy who fell coughed a but. "Hold on!" Present Lucy shouted. "Lucy!" Happy screamed. "I didn't... close the portal..." The dying mage said. "I know! I would never do that!" Lucy tried to console her future self. "Why did you protect me?" Present Lucy asked sadly.
"You're me in the past... so if you die, I would disappear anyway." Future Lucy explained. "Dying with myself at my side... It feels weird." "It feels weird for me, too! Don't die!" Present Lucy said desperately. "H-Hey, what about Healing Magic?" Lily asked, not giving up. Wendy and Carla were shaking. Loke just stared in shock. "With a wound that deep, nothing can..." Cral trailed off, knowing they got what she meant. Wendy covered her mouth with her hand, trying not to wail out.
"That's okay. Enough... I never thought I would be able to see any of you again... but I did, one more time. That alone... makes me happy..." Future Lucy struggled to say, but she smiled. "Lucy... No! Don't die!" Happy said sadly.
"I'm not... from this age... No. I'm not from this world." Future Lucy caressed Happy's check. "The me of this world... will live on with her comrades. Don't be said." Future Lucy said as tears gathered in her eyes. "I am sad! I don't care what world you're from! I don't care what anyone says! Lucy is Lucy! You're my friend! Of course I'm sad!" Happy sobbed, saying this. Future Lucy hugged Happy to her. Natsu's teeth clenched as he watched this.
"Hey, show me your guild mark." Future Lucy requested to present Lucy. Lucy held out her hand with the guild mark and future Lucy covered it with her hand, tears falling from her eyes. "You... Your right hand..." Present Lucy trailed off. Natsu's mouth shook, trying not to sob. Natsu shook as he clenched his teeth, his hair covering his eyes with a shadow.
"I wanted to... have more... adventures..." She said, head falling, not able to keep it up anymore. Her hand fell limp onto the floor. "Protect... the future." Future Lucy said her final words. Wendy and Lucy had tears pouring out of their eyes. Happy clutched the dead mage. Loke stared sadly at his dead master, not thinking about how she was from the future. She was still Lucy. Everyone but Natsu turned to look at future Rogue, her murderer.
"She didn't know that she closed the portal." Rogue said. "The hell with the portal! I would never have done that! But still, you..." Lucy trailed off, not being able to say it. "That's now. But you'll close the portal several hours from now." Rogue argued. "I'm not gonna close the damn portal! You talk all this nonsense! What are you after?" Lucy fought back.
"The portal will be closed. It's already been decided. As long as you're alive..." Rogue said angrily.
"The future me said she wouldn't close it. I believe myself!" Lucy shouted at him.
"There is no truth in your words!" Rogue said, focusing his magic to is hand again. "Everything is dictated by destiny!" He shouted.
"I'll burn your destiny to ask!" Natsu growled, turning angrily and glaring at Rogue. He lit his fist catch on fire and he threw the fire toward Rogue, who blocked it with his arms at first, before being pushed back a little.
"I won't let anyone steal Lucy's future! I promise I will!" Natsu said. He was glaring at Rogue, but that wasn't all.
He was also...
crying.
A tear fell down Natsu's cheek as he remembered that. He couldn't believe he didn't save her. Everyone saw the tear and got worried. He never really cried, only when something terrible happened, like someone's death. Maybe he remembered someone's.
Natsu clenched his teeth. He was still angry at himself for that. He brought his fist down on the table he was sitting at in anger, trying to release some. No one said anything as he got up and stalked toward the door. Natsu pushed the doors open and slammed them closed once he got out.
"Wake up soon Luce..." Natsu trailed off, another tear falling as he thought about those shared memories once again.
AN: I was planning on doing something totally different for this chapter but then I thought of this and I'm glad I did. Anyway, please review! Did you like it?