~Jacin~

The look on Natsu's face was nothing less than magnificent. Of course, my triumphant return was ruined when I grunted in pain and clutched my side with my free hand, (the other was slung over Lucy's shoulder for support).

Natsu raised his hands slowly and gestured for Lucy to stop walking, "Lucy, step away from it slowly."

Lucy blinked and adjusted my arm on her shoulder. I didn't like how heavily I had to lean on her, but there wasn't anything I could do. If she hadn't been helping me, I probably wouldn't have been able to walk.

"Lucy, zombies eat people," Natsu said cautiously, "Step away from it or you'll become one too!"

Lucy laughed and I winced, the shaking of her shoulders causing me a little pain. She immediately stopped and looked up at me, "Sorry, are you ok?"

I smiled down at her concerned chocolate eyes and nodded, "Not dead yet."

"Lucy! Why are you talking to it!?"Natsu asked.

Lucy turned to him and scowled, "He's not a zombie, you idiot! He didn't die!"

Natsu straightened and stared at me, "Oh."

I smiled, "Good to see you, too."

Natsu suddenly leaped forward and punched my arm, grinning all the while. I yelled out and tensed, waiting for the intense throbbing to pass. "Glad you're not dead," Natsu said with a smile. I glared at him.

"Don't punch him! He's injured!" Lucy demanded, stabbing him with her glower.

"My bad!" Natsu said, raising his hands in the air.

"Yeah, your bad," I growled. A long silence followed that conversation, if you can call it that. When looked to each other quietly and looked around us.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Lucy finally asked.

"I've an idea," I answered. I held out my hand and looked at Lucy expectantly. She understood immediately and dropped my keys in my hand. I smiled and ran my fingers over their smooth surfaces. It was a relief to be with them again.

"We'll ask Cilo for help," I said with a smirk. And that's just what I did. The tips of my hair tickled my face as the familiar rush of wind came. He was only a silver key, so I was able to muster the energy. I doubt I'd have been able to summon on of my platinums. That would be nearly impossible.

"Hey, Cilo," I said, looking up. Lucy looked confused for a moment before she followed my gaze.

"Um," she said. I grinned and held out my hand. Cilo fluttered down and zipped around my fingers. Cilo had a very subtle appearance. He was a bird, a hummingbird, to be exact. He also had pure white, almost translucent feathers.

"It's so small," Natsu said. I frowned. He was right, Cilo was about he size of a coin, but he didn't have to point it out. Cilo heard him, too. Before I could tell him not to, Cilo had sent an enormous gust of wind towards Natsu. He went flying and landed a few yards away.

"He doesn't like to be called small," I said and then looked to my friend, "We need to get back to Fairy Tail. Would you help us?"

Cilo's little beak bobbed up and down as he nodded. "As fast as you can, please. I…need to see Roawin."

Cilo understood immediately. I looked at Lucy and said, "You may want to brace yourself." She stared at me for a moment before she was carried up into the air. She yelled out and I watched her fly up. She tumbled a few times in the air before she steadied herself.

"Wow!" she yelled down to me, "This is awesome!" Well, flying is awesome. I'd done it enough times to know that much.

Cilo soon carried me up into the air as well, which was a relief because I was starting to feel dizzy again when I didn't have Lucy's shoulder for support. Natsu and Abigail were also lifted into the air quickly. Cilo flitted around us as we soared through the air, diving and gliding. The entire trip I was fighting my drowsiness. I felt like I could pass out at anytime. Still, I refused to. I was afraid that, if I were to fall asleep, I wouldn't wake up again. I would have to experience that feeling all over again. The feeling of losing myself. I was afraid of that. And so I didn't sleep.

When we finally arrived, the Fairy Tail guildhall coming into sight, illuminated by the setting sun over Magnolia, I sighed out of relief. I saw the landing coming, and yet I couldn't get my body angled perfectly in time. I slammed into the ground and rolled a few feet. I felt the skin on my palms open up and I tried to stop myself. When I finally did, Lucy was with me in a second.

"Jacin," she breathed nervously, "Did you hit your head?"

"Calm down, jeez," I mumbled. I realized, unfortunately, that I couldn't stand up. I couldn't really move my legs, actually. Maybe that trip had cost me more energy, supporting Cilo's presence, than I'd thought. Natsu strode up to us and offered me his hand. I took it and nodded at him. He slung my arm over his shoulder and dragged me towards the guild. Lucy picked up my other arm and put it over her shoulder. I feel sort of bad about this, but we just left Abigail out on the ground for a little while. Eh, she was still there when the other guild members went out to get her later.

Anyway, when we got close enough, Natsu kicked the door open. I flinched as my side erupted in pain, (yet again). I looked up to see the entire guild staring at us. There was a long moment of silence before a wall of noise slammed into us. Everyone yelled out, jumping from their seats and sprinting towards us. They tumbled over each other and surrounded us.

Still, Lucy was emitting a menacing black aura. Everyone gave us a few feet of space, staring at her. Mirajane pushed her way to the front, "Thank goodness you're all back! We were so worried! And Lucy! You're safe!"

Mirajane rushed forward and kissed Lucy on the cheek. When Lucy leaned forward to receive that greeting, I spoke up. "Lucy, stop moving!" I insisted. My voice sounded harsher than I meant it to. She looked at me.

"S-Sorry!" she replied immediately. I squeezed my eyes shut as the burning continued. It was seriously starting to burden me now.

"What happened to you?" Mirajane asked, looking at me intently.

"Um…I was stabbed," I said with a small laugh, (which I regretted and caused yet another flinch).

"What!?" Mirajane shrieked, "How are you alive!?"She didn't wait for my answer. She turned around and took command. She yelled, "Everyone out of the way! You can say hello to them later! Jacin's hurt!"

The crowd immediately parted, creating a channel that lead to the pain-relieving magic that I was sure was waiting for me on the other side. Lucy and Natsu immediately started to help me, but I stopped them. "Wait," I said and then turned to Mirajane who was glaring at me. She clearly wanted me to get help as soon as possible, but there was something I needed to do first.

"Roawin," I said, "Where's my little brother?"

Mirajane's eyes softened, "He's asleep right now. He refused to leave the guild. He said that he wasn't going anywhere until you came back and he knew that you'd kept your promise."

I nodded. He was asleep. He was alright. I was alright…probably. Somehow, all of this had ended well. I sighed and whispered in Lucy's ear, "Rescue mission: Success."

Lucy grinned and whispered in my ear, "Honestly, it seems more like I just rescued you."

I frowned. "She's right," Natsu interrupted. I blinked and turned to him.

"Did you just hear that?" I asked.

"More than a little," Natsu replied, glancing at me and then looking away again, "Dragonslayer, remember?"

I frowned, "It's just a hole in my stomach."

"Riiiight. Just that," Lucy said sarcastically as I limped towards the medical wing, wincing with each step and relying heavily on Natsu and Lucy's help.

"Shut up," I mumbled. She laughed brightly and I let it fill me up. I closed my eyes and sighed. Somehow, after Lucy's laugh filled up the room, I felt myself with a little more energy.

To be honest, I've never really liked medicines and infirmaries. They make me uneasy. Right at that moment, though, I wanted nothing less than to see the inside of the infirmary. That's why, once inside, I immediately lay down on one of the beds. The pain lessened when I wasn't tensing my muscles, but it didn't disappear. I was starting to sweat.

"Jacin," said a voice.

I opened my eyes. "I'm going to heal you, ok? Well, I'm going to try. It'll help until Porlyusica gets here," Wendy said with a sweet smile.

I nodded, "You should…take care of Lucy and Natsu, too."

Wendy smiled as the gentle blue light shone over me and my pain started to dissipate, "Not until you're better. You're really a mess."

I didn't have the energy to respond. Instead, I felt my eye slam shut. "Sorry, I don't…think I can…stay awake." And, true to my word, I fell asleep.

~Lucy~

Jacin was still asleep. I wasn't worried, though. It was good that he was still sleeping. He needed to get lots of rest. However much I wanted to see him awake, to see his brilliant blue eyes again after everything that had happened, I wanted to him to recover more. To be himself again.

"Lucy?" asked a sleepy voice. I looked up and tears welled up immediately. I held out my arms and before I knew it, a sleepy Roawin rocketed into my embrace. He clung to me. "I knew you would be back."

I nodded and stroked his curls, "Yeah."

"I missed you," he said. He looked up at me and brushed my bangs out of my eyes. I smiled at the familiarity of that gesture. I did the same to him and he grinned.

"I missed you, too. Don't cry, ok?" I said that, but I couldn't help but cry myself. I looked up to see Mira standing a few feet away. She was smiling softly.

"He was really worried," she said quietly. I smiled and turned back to Roawin.

"Where's Jacin?" Roawin asked, "He brought you back, so where's my big brother?"

I hesitated, "Um…sleeping."

Roawin suddenly looked afraid, "Sleeping? Where? Is he sleeping like everyone who-"

"No! He's fine! He didn't disappear like they did," I said, realizing that Roawin thought for a moment that his brother was dead, "He's just asleep. He got hurt, so he has to sleep for a little while to get better. He's in the infirmary. I can take you to see him as long as you don't wake him up."

Roawin wiped a tear from his cheek and nodded. I smiled and picked up him, carrying him towards the infirmary. I'd noticed a questioning look from Mira; she was wondering if it was a good idea to bring Roawin to Jacin…I knew it was, though. I didn't have a doubt. It would be cruel to keep the two apart any longer. They belonged together.

I set Roawin down and held a finger to my lips. Roawin nodded in understanding. I eased the door open and stepped inside. I walked up to the side of Jacin's bed and turned around. Roawin was hovering in the doorway.

"Roawin?" I whispered.

Roawin hid himself behind the doorframe, his head the only thing peeking out, "I'm scared."

I sighed and walked back to him, offering him my hand. I knelt beside him, "Why?"

He was quiet for a moment, more tears falling, "I don't know." I shook my head.

"Don't be scared, Roawin. He's ok. He needs you right now, ok? He's your big brother and he's fine…he won't leave anytime soon. I'll make sure of that. Go to him."

Roawin's hand wrapped around a few of my fingers and we walked into the infirmary. He shuffled quietly along beside me and inched towards his brother's bedside. He pulled himself up onto the chair beside the bed.

He looked at his brother for a moment and then looked up at me. He looked like he was about to cry some more, but was struggling to keep it in. "I'm really happy," Roawin said, his voice a whimper.

I laughed and put a hand on his back, "Me too."

"I was really scared. He never leaves me for more than 16 hours!"

"It was your first time. I know," I said. He nodded and whimpered again. I sighed again and pulled him onto my lap. I held him close and he buried his face in my chest. He clung to my shirt and I could feel his tears.

"But he's safe. Just like me and just like you. He was brave, too. Really brave. You should be proud of him," I whispered. He nodded. "I know it was scary, but it's all ok now. And, guess what?" I asked, my voice lightening.

"What?" he sniffled, rubbing his eyes.

"Now we can stay together!"

He smiled, the most adorable, cherubic smile in history, and nodded, "Forever, right?" Forever? I really didn't know the answer to that. I wanted to be with him forever…to be with them forever. They were quite the duo, these two brothers…and they'd both stolen my heart. I really didn't know what I would do without them.

A groggy voice interrupted my thoughts, "Yeah, forever." I looked up and saw Jacin. He was still lying down, his eyes barely open. A tiny smile played at his lips. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Morning," I said. Crap, more tears. This was seriously a sob-filled day for me. I couldn't seem to stop it.

He laugh softly and then winced, "Morning."

I lifted Roawin up and sat on the side of Jacin's bed. "Hey, buddy," Jacin said quietly. Roawin whimpered again and launched onto Jacin. Jacin cried out in pain, but held tightly onto his brother anyway. I laughed.

"You seem heavier than I remember," Jacin said, laughing a little and hugging his little brother tightly. "Have you been using your puppy-dog eyes to convince Mira to give you more food?"

Roawin nodded, "Only a little." Jacin and I both laughed. Roawin pulled away and brushed Jacin's bangs away, "You should have come back sooner!"

Jacin nodded, "Sorry, but I had to get Lucy."

Roawin smiled, "Then I forgive you." I laughed just as Mira entered the room. She knocked on the door as she peaked her head inside.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I've got official business with Roawin," Mira said with a smile.

"Me too!" Levy said, jumping into the room. Levy winked at me and I frowned, confused.

"Official business? Sounds like you better go, Little Brother," Jacin said with a grin, slowly pulling himself upright.

Roawin nodded and slid off the bed. He paused and turned around, pointing at Jacin, "Don't go anywhere!"

Jacin raised his hands, "I won't!"

"Don't worry, Jacin. I'll watch him like a hawk," I said, raising my hand to volunteer for guard duty. Roawin nodded resolutely as he strutted out the door. Levy and I locked eyes for a moment and she smiled deviously. What was she planning?

"Like a hawk?" Jacin asked with a chuckle.

"Shut up, his cuteness messes with my head," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. Jacin laughed and a new feeling slammed into me all of a sudden. I felt more tears pour from my eyes.

"Jeez, sorry," I said.

"Why are you crying?" Jacin asked, taking my hand. That only made me cry harder.

"I saw you die, Jacin. I thought for a moment that I'd never get to see you smile again. It broke my heart to think about how Roawin would be left without you…and I just-"

"I know it would be unfair to tell you to stop thinking about that—I can't even stop thinking about it—but I want you to know that I'm not going anywhere. I'm alive and I don't intend on dying again anytime soon," he said with a slight smile. I kept crying, nodding as he tried to comfort me.

That's when it occurred to me…he'd said something that stuck out to me, "Again?"

Jacin blinked, "Huh?"

"You said 'again.' I thought you-"

"I don't know what happened to me," he said. I watched as his eyes darkened. I decided it would be best to drop the subject. I didn't want to force him to relive…that. I squeezed my eyes shut in an attempt to stop crying.

"Damnit, why do tear ducts exist!?" I demanded.

Jacin laughed. When I looked at him again, the darkness in his eyes was gone. It was a relief.

"Come here," he said, his voice suddenly serious.

I blinked and slowly obeyed. I sat closer to him. "Come on, Luce. Stop being such a coward," Jacin joked.

"Coward?" I said, offended. I immediately stood and sat right next to him, "I'm not a coward! Why would I be afraid to-"

Jacin just smiled and leaned closer to me. My eyes probably went wide, but my memory is sort of blurry from there on. He laughed quietly when his lips brushed mine, "You're such a weird girl."

"I'm not weird."

"Sure you're not," he whispered back. That was when he kissed me. One of his strong arms snaked around my waste and the other around my shoulders. He pinned me to his chest and held me in place; he wasn't about to let me escape. But…I didn't want to. I mean, if the guy you loved were kissing you like the world was ending, you wouldn't want to move either.

It'd been a seriously traumatic abduction, and being safe in Jacin's arms once again was perfection. If I could freeze time, that would've been the moment I chose. When he finally let me breathe, I moved to readjust myself.

"Where are you going?" Jacin asked, his eyes serious as he latched onto my arm.

I smiled, "No where, idiot." I curled up beside him and felt his muscles relax next to me. "You owe me an explanation, though," I mumbled. I know it wasn't a great time to bring it up, and it sort of ruined the moment, but I had to know. It'd been bothering me.

"About Abigail?" he asked.

"About Abigail," I answered.

"I'm about to tell you…a lot of things that I haven't told anyone before, ok. It's because I trust you…and because I love you," he said. Wow. That was honesty right there. He just lay it out on a silver platter.

I looked up at him and touched his slightly scratchy jawline, "And I'll listen, because I love you, too."

He smiled, "When I was younger, I lived in a small town. It's nowhere close to Magnolia, so you've probably never heard of it. It was called Lotus. I lived there with my parents, my older sister, and my little brother."

"You had a sister?" I asked quietly.

Jacin's eyes looked sad, "Yeah. Her name was Annora. Anyway, when I lived there, I was happy. At least for a little while, I was. My life changed when Abigail showed up one day. She just appeared in town. I fell in love with her there…when I was fifteen."

I clutched Jacin's shirt. I didn't like the feeling I got whenever he talked about Abigail. "You're not going to like this," he said.

"Tell me," I said sternly, staring at him.

He nodded, "We agreed to get married one day." I didn't say anything, but that hurt. "But that's not going to happen…obviously. I asked her to marry me, and a week later I woke up in the middle of the night to screams. I ran outside to see Abigail being attacked by some man in black. I knocked him out, or…I thought I did. Before I knew it, the guy had gotten back up and stabbed Abigail right in front of me. That man…that was Drau."

I gasped, "Drau was the one who actually stabbed her?"

"I recognized his scar," he said with a subtle nod, "Before she died, she told me that she had something to tell me. I never found out what it was because she died in my arms. I guess I could just ask her now, though." I could hear a bit of anger in his voice.

"Go on," I said, "What happened after that?"

"I don't remember how he got away, but, when I looked up, Drau had disappeared just like a shadow. I stayed with her for a while, and then went to go and try to help the others in town. I had to go back to my family, though, when I realized that there was no chance that I could fight them. At this point I had my keys, but there were too many of them. I went back to my family, but…when I got there…"

His voice broke and he covered his face with one hand. I clutched his other tightly and felt more tears rise. "I shouldn't have left them, Lucy. I should have left them, but I thought they were safe. I shouldn't have left them," he said. Jacin's tears fell down his cheeks from behind his hand.

"When I got back, they were dead," he said, "They were dead. My mom and dad. My sister. Abigail. Everyone I knew. My home. I thought I'd lost everything. That's when I heard Roawin crying. He was just a little kid then."

I don't know what I was thinking and I don't know what I was feeling. Sadness…definitely sadness. I felt his pain like it was my own in that moment, and the tears wouldn't and shouldn't have stopped. I wanted Jacin to know that, no matter what he told me, I would listen. I would listen and stay by his side. I knew that, given what Jacin had seen, he needed someone. I'd known that even before he told me his story, and it only seemed more crucial now.

"I took him away from there, ran away with him. I don't know how I escaped, but I think Othos helped me. I've always been a strong wizard, so I knew that I would be able to make some jewels by doing jobs. So I did, not staying in one place for too long for fear that the men I'd seen that night would find me again. Somehow I managed to survive, but I know that I only did it for Roawin. I was empty at the beginning; my wounds slowly healed over time, but never closed. We lived like that for years." Jacin finally uncovered his eyes, which were now red and swollen.

He smiled weakly, "And then I found out about Fairy Tail. I was so tired of running. So tired. And so was Roawin. I could tell. So I decided to bring us here."

"To Fairy Tail," I said, wrapping my arms around his arm.

"And I met this weird girl who wouldn't stop staring at me," he said.

I smiled and laughed, "That'd be me."

"You were seriously strange, though," he said, looking down at me.

"I couldn't help it! You were probably the most gorgeous guy I'd ever seen! What was I supposed to do? I'm only human."

He laughed, "Thanks…I think."

"Continue…"

He sighed, "I was really confused about everything. I think deep down I knew that I was starting to fall in love with you…but I didn't want to admit it. I wanted to keep loving Abigail…because I didn't want to forget her. To forget any of it, actually. It became part of me, and it is part of me even now."

"People can't escape their pasts," I said quietly.

He nodded, "No, they can't." He paused. "I realized that you looked like Abigail and then hated myself even more because I thought I only loved you because you looked like her. That's not close to true, though. You two are very different."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Good thing."

"Ok, go on. You answered correctly, by the way." I winked at him and he smiled.

"Then, you got kidnapped. I think I was 75% dead when you were gone. I thought I'd lost you just like I'd lost Abigail. When the Master told me where you were, I left immediately. When I heard your voice from Fleure I was so relieved. And then…I found out that Abigail was still alive."

I leaned into his chest, careful not to touch his wound, and hid my face there for comfort. This was going to be the hard part. "I think for a moment there I really did feel something for her again, but as soon as I kissed her I felt something was missing. I know this isn't an excuse, and I know that I was a huge idiot and that it was all my fault, but I can't change the fact that I kissed her. I'm sorry for it, but that was when I realized that what I'd had with Abigail…the past that I'd been weighed down by for so long…it was just that…my past. I realized that it couldn't be my present any longer. I know it was at your expense, but I want to thank you for that."

"For what?" I whispered.

"For saving me," he whispered back. I looked up at him and saw the honesty in his eyes…the same honesty I'd seen back then. I sat up and hugged myself, looking at him.

"You asked me why I believed you," I said.

"I did."

"It's because I saw your eyes, Jacin," I said, touching his cheek. He stared at me and I smiled. I loved his eyes. God, I loved his eyes. They were so beautiful, so blue. And they told me so much. I could see sadness there, but there was also light…a glimmer that wasn't there when I'd first seen him. His eyes always lit up when he saw his little brother, when he saw me. They dimmed when he thought of his past. They were the clearest I'd ever seen them when he told me he loved me…so I listened to him. I trusted his eyes.

Jacin looked down, "I'm sorry." I frowned and lifted his face to the light again.

"I forgive you," I said.

His eyes softened, "I love you." I held his face and smiled again.

"I know."

"Aren't you supposed to say, 'I love you, too'?"

"Yup," I said. I kissed him again.

When I pulled away, he breathed, "That works, too."

"I have to show you something…when you get better," I said.

"I am better."

"No, you're not."

"But-"

"You're not," I said, touching his nose. He blinked and then grabbed my wrist. He pulled me closer to him.

"What is it?" he asked, resting his head against my arm.

"I'm not telling you," I replied, crossing my arms over my chest.

"What is it?" he asked again, leaning closer to me.

"It's a surprise!"

"What is it?" He kissed my neck and I shivered.

"A surprise," I squeaked.

"You're not going to tell me?"

"Isn't that the point of surprises?" I asked. He frowned and lowered his lips to my chest. I flushed.

"Fine, I won't make you tell me…but this is payment," he said. He arched his neck and kissed me again. I pressed myself against him, relishing in his warmth. I felt closer to him than before, like the wall between us had finally been Lucy-kicked through. It made me happy, and made that kiss taste that much sweeter.

I curled up next to Jacin and shut my eyes, pulling his blankets up around me. "Comfortable?" he asked. "On my bed," he added.

I nodded, "Yeah, thanks."

He sighed and lay down beside me, "Sleep well."

"I plan on it," I replied.

He chuckled and rested his arm on my waist, "You're so weird."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Go to sleep."

"Ok."

"Ok."

"Ok."

I actually fell in love with these two. I actually did. Alright, chapter 15 is officially finished. That was one long-arse chapter! Jeez! 5,027 words! I feel sort of bad because I didn't write in any of the other Team Natsu members here, but I figure it's alright. I'll write 'em in during the next chapter. Leave me your reviews, please!