Ok, so I pretty much love this chapter. Well, you'll see why. So. Much. Drama. O.o It ended up being pretty long, so yay! I stayed up 'till 1:15 to write this for you...I was really into it.

~*~I'd like to say ahead of time that if you're left with any questions after this, feel free to leave me a review about it and I'll answer it at the beginning of the next chapter. That way everyone can see the answer. ~*~

Thanks, and I hope like what's to come!

~Jacin~

I panicked for a moment before my rationality came back to me. "Lucy?"

"That's my mom," she said, clenching her jaw shut. I put a gentle hand on her shoulder to try to comfort her and she placed her hand over mine. Still, her eyes were locked onto the woman in the blackish door: her mother…her dead mother. I wanted to ask her if she was sure, but I didn't; I figured the girl could recognize her own mother…even considering what she'd just been through.

Instead of questioning her, I simply held her tighter, "Easy. I'm sure this isn't real. He's just trying to get inside our heads…" …and it's working.

"Oh, but it is real." Drau's voice echoed in my head, and, by looking at Lucy's face, I could tell that she heard him too.

"Drau, what are you doing?" I yelled.

"Why is my mother in that black door!?" Lucy shouted, adding on to the questions. I gripped her wrist. I can't say I wasn't immensely proud that, even when she was seeing her mother in front of her, she was still strong. I doubt my heart could take reliving all those memories, not to mention seeing their faces.

He still didn't show himself, "I suppose there's no harm in telling you; the outcome will be the same either way."

We waited, wondering what that outcome was, for him to speak again. When he finally did, he appeared on the platform again and looked down at us, his hands clasped behind his back, "There's something you should know. I fell in love with a girl once, but I lost her. Of course, I took revenge. I poisoned the person responsible. Still, it wasn't enough."

He paced, "But I found out about a spell—a ritual, rather—that allows the dead to return to life. That's what this door is. A door to another world."

I narrowed my eyes, "That's impossible."

"And wrong!" Lucy shouted, "I've seen other worlds, and they're amazing. Don't you think that wherever we go after we die could be just as beautiful? You would rip that life away from the person you love?"

"If it meant I could have her back, so be it," Drau said, standing tall. He stared at Lucy and she glared back.

"You're a horrible person," Lucy said, not dropping the death-inducing eyes.

"Would you still hate me if I told you that the woman I loved was your mother, that I could bring her back?" Drau asked. I immediately grabbed Lucy and stared into her eyes.

"Don't let him fool you; you know what's right in your heart," I said, rushing the words. I didn't want her to doubt for a moment.

Her eyes softened and my concern for her, but there was intense pain and sadness there. She put a hand of my cheek, "I'm not really sure what's right and wrong any longer, but I'll trust what my heart says. It worked with you, right?"

I watched her, clinging to her hand for a moment until it slid out of mine. She walked towards Drau. "My mother is gone, and I know that she had a good life. She loved me with all her heart, and I'm certain that she still loves me now, wherever she is. I won't let you take her away from my father and I won't let her bring you back. I love her, but things happen for a reason." She looked at Drau, standing right in front of him now.

She had hope in her eyes and a serene sadness, but I couldn't detect any emotion in Drau's cold eyes. Even while Lucy was speaking so kindly about her mother, the woman Drau loved, he didn't bat an eye. He simply stared at her. "Perhaps you should let her go, just as I've learnt to," Lucy said softly.

Drau was silent for a moment, looking at her. Finally, he sighed. He turned to me and held out his hand. I stared at it until there was a small flicker of black magic. Afterwards, there, sitting on his palm, were my keys. "You should take them back," he said.

I hesitated and then snatched them from him, glad to be reunited with my friends. It seemed as though Lucy's words had touched Drau, though he hadn't shown it at all on the outside. "Dear Lucy's heart is pure again, because of you, Jacin," he said, looking directly into my eyes. "The ritual can't be performed any longer. Both of the people connected to the person you intend to bring back must have dark hearts, broken."

I blinked, unsure of what to say. "Unfortunately for you, you seem to be the only option left. I'll be borrowing your services again, boy," he said with a smile. It didn't reach his eyes, though. "It's better that you die with your keys, is it not?" he asked. My eyes went wide just before his arm shot forward. I'd tried to react, but it was too late.

"Jacin!" Lucy screamed. I couldn't reply, though. Couldn't tell her that it was alright. Couldn't tell her that the tips of my fingers weren't tingling strangely. Couldn't tell her that I couldn't feel warm blood soaking my shirt. Couldn't tell her that I couldn't feel the cold steel shifting inside of my stomach. It didn't matter, though; those were all lies.

I weakly grabbed Drau's wrist, but he pulled his hand away. He took a step back and I looked down. The scarlet stain on my clothes was spreading. I fell to one knee, attempting to stay upright. I touched my wound, but it all seemed unreal. There was no way that I could be…dying? I…still hadn't explained anything to Lucy yet.

I couldn't hold myself upright any longer; I collapsed on my side. I was dizzy, but I could still hear and see. For some reason, though, I couldn't smell anything any longer. When I coughed and tasted iron, I assumed that my own blood was masking my sense of smell. I felt warmth on my face soon enough, though.

"Y-You're cold." It was Lucy. Her voice was shaking and I could hear the tears in her voice. I opened my eyes and looked up at her. She pulled my head onto her lap and stroked the side of my face as if it would make everything better. I felt her tears fall onto my face. It struck me at that moment that this was the same way Abigail had died. What a cruel master fate is.

"Lucy," I said, struggling with my words.

She hushed me, "Don't talk. You'll be ok." She was nodding even as she cried and smiling, but then her face broke. "Please, you can't die! Jacin, you idiot! What about Roawin!? What about Fairy Tail!? What about me!?" she screamed. My heart erupted in pain when she said those words. Fairy Tail. Lucy. Roawin. Oh, God. I was leaving Roawin behind. I couldn't do that, not ever. I'd told myself that I'd come back to him. I'd promised him! Still, what could I do. Despair possessed me. Anger.

Lucy huddled close to me, her face close to mine. I couldn't feel her any longer, though. "Lucy…"

She didn't stop crying. "I…love…" I couldn't squeeze any more words through my throat. I could feel my consciousness slip away, but I clung to it for dear life…literally. I didn't want to die. Though it was a hopeless situation, I somehow still had hope. Then again, maybe I'm just getting hope confused with determination…

There's a certain feeling that a person gets when they're about to die. It's a burning desire to live. No matter how horrible their life was, they wish they could go back and do it all over again. To breath fresh air. To feel wind on their face. To hold the person they loved.

Even if it's in vain, we still try.

~Lucy~

Drau grabbed me, but I fought him with all I had. Jacin was dying, and there was nothing I could do about it. I was horrified, full of anger and fear. Most importantly, though, I was reminded of how much I loved him. My entire being was reaching out to Jacin. Every part of me was demanding that I be near him. It's funny how you don't realize how much you need something until you've lost it.

"NO!" I screamed. I had to be near him. I had to touch him. Still, I dreaded the coldness of his skin. I missed his warmth already. "NO! YOU CAN'T TAKE ME FROM HIM!" I thrashed around in Drau's arms, but he was stronger than me…and I didn't have my keys. I managed to slip free of him once, but he grabbed me again right before I was able to reach Jacin's side.

He'd told me he loved me with his last breath. I strung even more, a bittersweet goodbye. My tears wouldn't stop falling as my mind raced.

"Stop resisting!" Drau bellowed. I suddenly lost it. My energy drained from me and I stared forward.

"Jacin's gone," I breathed numbly. Drau easily carried me onto the platform now. He took my arm and readied his knife…the same knife that had taken Jacin from me. I barely felt it when he cut my skin open. I stared at the door, awaiting a flash of light of the same red shockwave as before. The expected outcome of my blood hitting the frame didn't come, though. I blinked when my mother didn't move or blink an eye. I turned away, my mind and heart still realizing that Jacin wasn't next to me any longer…that he never would be again.

Drau stood up, his face contorting, "What?"

I stood up, clutching my arm and staring at the ground, "Jacin's dead."

"Why didn't it work!? Did he lie to me!?" Drau yelled, stepping towards the door. Suddenly he fell to one knee, panting. "No! Not yet!" he gasped, clutching his chest. "Wait, I can get the blood. Don't go, Layla!" Drau yelled. He reached for her just in time to see her face shimmer and then disappear. The door was gone and so was the heat. The entire room suddenly felt freezing. I shivered, but didn't bother to warm myself up. I felt too empty on the inside to care what I was feeling on the outside.

Drau fell to his knees and touched the wall where the door had been. His shoulders were shaking, but I couldn't hear him crying. I guessed it was anger, but I didn't care any longer.

"Unnngh," someone groaned. I slowly looked up and saw Natsu, easing himself upright, "Man, was I hit by a train?"

I blinked, staring at Natsu. I'd forgotten all about him. About everything. About Fairy Tail. About Roawin…Roawin. My heart suddenly felt again, twisting painful into a million horrible knots.

Natsu looked around as I stepped off the platform. "Natsu," I whimpered. More tears fell. He looked at me and his face immediately went dark when he saw me.

"Who made you cry, Luce?" he growled, standing up. I could see the familiar fire in his eyes. I knelt down beside Jacin and stared at him, too afraid to touch him and be reminded of how cold his skin was now.

I choked my words through sobs, "H-He k-killed…Jacin."

Natsu's eyes went wide and he rushed to my side, wrapping his arms around me. I clung to his shirt and sobbed endlessly. Natsu held me tightly and I was glad that he was still warm. I didn't want to feel cold. Natsu's warm body comforted me, but not enough to stop my tears.

"Lucy, don't worry," Natsu said, standing up. I held onto his shirt with one hand.

"Wh-What are y-you doing?" I asked, afraid that his warmth was going to disappear too.

He took my hand for a moment and then let it slide away, "I protect my family. We've lost a member of Fairy Tail, and I'm angry. And…he made you cry." Natsu's voice and eyes were scaring me. There was so much hatred and fury surrounding him that I thought he was going to drown in it. Natsu turned away from me and slowly walked towards where Drau was kneeling, still pressed against the wall. Natsu's fists were clenched tightly and I could see his veins bulging due to his tensed muscles.

"You've done something unforgiveable," Natsu said. He looked up at Drau, who was now standing up slowly. He didn't turn as Natsu's anger reached a new high. I knew what was about to happen; I'd witnessed Natsu's fury before…and it was both amazing and terrifying. I braced for what was coming.

My hair whipped around me and I could feel the physical impact of the heat coming from Natsu as he let his rage run free. Flames whirled around Natsu, twisting and lashing out angrily at the air around him. His clothes billowed around him, his scarf flying. The flames around him suddenly took shape, coming together and morphing into a dragon of fire. It loomed down over Drau, who slowly turned.

The flames hovered close to Drau. "You murdered a wizard of Fairy Tail, and even if he was new, he was our family! And you took him from us! That is where you went wrong!" Natsu bellowed. Drau didn't show any fear on his face. He held his hand behind his back and nodded.

Drau smiled, but this time an emotion did touch his eyes: sorrow. "When push comes to shove, we're all monsters," Drau said.

"Wrong answer!" Natsu screamed. The dragon lunged forward, snapping it's huge jaws around Drau. When the fire faded and the cold returned, there was darkness. Drau wasn't there. I shivered and hugged myself. That was the most powerful I'd ever seen Natsu's flames, and it was scary. Natsu walked forward and bent, picking something up. He returned to my side and placed something in my hands. I gasped. My keys.

I clutched them to my chest and nodded gratefully. He only nodded in response. He wrapped his arms around me again and scooped me up. I curled up in his warm arms, feeling my fear and pain return again. Drau was gone along with my hatred and anger. The only thing left were the feelings that hurt the most.

Natsu started towards the only door remaining, but I spoke up, "Wait." My voice was raw.

Natsu stopped. "Jacin's keys," I whispered. Natsu nodded and set me down slowly. I walked hesitantly over to where Jacin lay. I fell to my knees beside him and reached out. I couldn't bring myself to touch him though. I was scared.

"Lucy," Natsu's gentle voice spurred me on. I reached for his keys, which were safely held in his hand. I took a deep breath and grabbed at them. As soon as I touched him, I jerked away, gasping. I'd dropped the keys.

"Natsu," I choked.

"He's gone, Lucy. Let's just rescue his spirits and go. This place isn't safe any longer. We have to leave," Natsu said, his voice a bit angry but still warm.

"N-No," I said.

"Lucy, we have to g-"

"No! That's not it!" I yelled. He stared at me, confused. He walked towards me and knelt beside me.

"What?"

"He's…" I didn't know if I wanted to say it out loud. What if this was just a cruel dream that I'd been cursed with? I was still afraid.

"Luce?" Natsu asked, standing, "I'll…give you a minute." He walked out the door, picking up Abigail on the way. He shut it behind him.

I turned back to Jacin's body and reached for his keys again. When I picked them up, I stood. I took one last long look at him before I turned away, my heart aching. I cried as I walked.

I went to open the door. "Those are mine, you know?" I froze. What was this, post-traumatic stress disorder?

"You're just going to leave me here?" asked a husky voice. I whirled around and what I saw made me question my sanity. But…if this was real. That meant what I'd felt earlier had been real. His hand had been warm, the same warmth I was so familiar with and loved so much.

"Wh-"

"I knew you were weird, but I didn't know you were a thief on top of that," he said, turning his head towards me. My jaw dropped and my tears fell faster. They were like rivers, streaming down my cheeks. I sprinted forward and launched myself into the air.

I slammed into Jacin at full speed. He was warm. "Is this real?" I whimpered.

He nodded against the crook of my neck. I pulled away and looked at his face. I soaked in his lively, ocean-blue eyes, his soft smile, his messy blond hair, and the tears that were dampening his cheeks. I pressed myself as close to him as I could, wishing that our bodies weren't in the way. I clung to him tightly, occasionally looking at his face to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. I cried uncontrollably, but occasionally laughed. My tears were different now, though. They were happy ones.

When I'd finally confirmed for myself that he wasn't dead, I stared at him, "What happened? You died!"

He shook his head, "I didn't."

"But-"

"Fuegia," he said. Something caught my eye. There was a small flame, like a candle, flickering behind Jacin's back. My eyes went wide as I realized that this was Jacin's fire elemental spirit. I stared. She had little purplish and pink flames flickering around her, and she looked just like a fairy. She was a few inches tall and had delicate features.

"She burnt the wound…stopped the bleeding," Jacin said.

"That worked? Didn't that hurt?" I asked, holding his face.

He nodded, "A lot, actually. I don't remember most of it though." Jacin's face darkened, "I just remember waking up and seeing you. I summoned her just before I passed out. I do…feel a little dizzy, though. Or…maybe a lot. And, now that you mention it, my everything hurts."

I shook my head, "Idiot."

He looked up, offended, "Seriously!? I just died, and yet you call me an-"

I kissed him. There wasn't a doubt of moment of hesitation in my mind as I leaned forward and brought my lips down on his. His lips were soft, just as soft as I remembered. The only difference from last time was that he kissed me back. Wow, did he kiss me back. He held me tightly and ran his hand up and down my back, spreading searing heat and tingled up and down my spine. It was hot, but I shivered. He kissed me like there was no tomorrow, like it didn't matter that he was in pain or that we were still in danger. He kissed me like his life depended on it…like he'd almost just died.

And I kissed him like I'd almost just lost him.

When we pulled away from each other, breathing hard, we both whispered our true feelings to each other at the same time.

"I love you."

And it was so…so warm.

Holy akjshfjksdfljh! I can't believe that just happened, and I wrote it! Man, I'm weird. Ok, so I hope you you died of feels because of this chapter! Wait...no. Don't die. That'd be really bad. Live! And look forward to more chapters! Leave me a review and also remember to leave me questions if you've got 'em.