Hello dear readers! So I already have, like two fluffy chapters written, but I thought it'd be a bit much all back-to-back. As a result, I am here with a super angsty chapter for your . . . I feel weird saying enjoyment as there will be sadness. Lots of it. . . but yeah, enjoyment. As Sally Sparrow (Doctor Who, episode: Blink)said, "Sad is like happy for deep people." XD Really makes you think.

Anyway, and without further ado . . .

I am slowly dragged into consciousness by the tugging of my hair, causing a soft, painful spot to throb.

My eyes struggle to adjust to the dim lighting, hindered by a fuzziness I can't seem to blink away. Where am I? I think. A chunk of damp, dirtied blonde hair falls in my face and I move to flick it away when I find that I cannot separate my left hand from my right. I bring both of them to my face to find them bound by a thick layer of rope. My eyes widen in shock and I am finally able to see the gravity of my situation.

I'm lying on a cold stone floor in a cold gray room. There is only one light source in the room and it comes from a slit in an almost unnoticeable door directly in front of me. I tug experimentally on the ropes to find them hopelessly tight. I quickly discover my legs in a similar state and a gag covering my mouth.

A swift tug at the back of my hair reminds me that whatever woke me is apparently still there. I haul myself slowly into a sitting position and feel a warm, furry body slide over my shoulder and down my front.

I fight the panic that threatens to envelop me. Terror claws up my throat, threatening to spill over in insatiable shrieks. My heart, pounding double-time, seems as if it's trying desperately to escape my doomed body.

Calm down! I reprimand my horrified body. First we have to figure out what happened, then we can decide how to get out of this mess. Seriously, It's not as if I've never been held captive before. Once I was even in line to be executed, don't you remember?! T-This is nothing. I said, trying desperately to calm myself.

I lean back against the rough wall, fighting mental and physical exhaustion. I feel as if every inch of my body has been thoroughly bruised, unfortunately the room is too dim for me to confirm with my own weary eyes.

Instead of trying too hard to know how damaged I am, I close them and concentrate. What is the last thing I remember?

I was. . . I was walking. . . home? Yeah. It was late and I left the guild. Everyone was passed out after having either been knocked out, or drunk under the table by Cana, who eventually lost consciousness herself. It was just Mira and I left awake. Wendy and some of the others had already left for the night.

I said goodnight to her, made sure Natsu and Happy weren't crushed under Elfman's massive body, and went home. Mira didn't protest, why should she? My house wasn't far and it was Magnolia! The home of the strongest, most fearsomely monstrous guild in all of Fiore! There was little to be worried about. Besides, I was a very capable celestial wizard with ten of the twelve Zodiac keys! Nothing should have gone wrong.

But I turned by back.

I wasn't listening.

I walked past an alley.

I didn't notice the figures that made the shadows look light.

I lost without a fair fight. Ah, but life is not a fair fight, is it?

If I were Erza I would not have let such a mundane thing as a pipe knock me out. I would have pulled out my Purgatory armor and made them feel fear such as they have never imagined.

If I had been Gray I would have already stripped bare and frozen them into the next ice age.

If I had been Wendy I would have had Charle to warn me and would have talked them into turning themselves in and, had that failed, I would have slashed them across Fiore with sky dragon slayer magic.

If I were Natsu, I would have smelled them coming and given them a taste of the kind of magic that brought down the Twin Dragons single-handily.

Natsu. . . Do you know I'm gone?

My heart stuttered before returning at twice its original speed and I lurch away from the wall. MY KEYS! OH MY KAMI, AQUARIOUS IS GOING TO MURDER ME. Do they have them? Are they lying at the entrance of that damned alley?! Will Natsu and the others find them? Oh no oh no oh no oh no.

I shake my head vigorously, trying to dislodge the thought, but immediately regret it. I fall to my side, the world spinning madly in front of my eyes. As I lay panting, my heart-rate feels as if it's beginning to steady, though the sound seems to be getting louder.

That's not my heart, I realize, horror washing over me in hot waves. Those are footsteps.

I hold my breath, praying that they pass me by and move down the hall.

I hope that they never come back even as I hear them slowly.

I wish for them to disappear as they stop completely and a shadow darkens the narrow slit.

I ask for death as the heavy door is thrown to the side and a figure towers over me.

The figure walks with purpose towards me and stops short. He kneels by my head and grabs my face roughly in his calloused hand. He turns me left, then right, inspecting me for what, I can't imagine.

"What do you want?!" I spit through pinched cheeks.

A chuckle rumbles deeply through him. "A feisty one, I see. Fitting. She's not really my type, but still clearly stunning; amazing breasts, small waist, good hips, and wonderfully slim legs."

Despite his claiming I wasn't his type, the way he doesn't speak to me directly disturbs me. It means he doesn't see me as a person, but more as. . . what? Merchandise? Leverage? A piece of meat?

I yank my face from his grip and sneer. "I don't who you are or what you want, but know this: You've made an enemy of Fairy Tail, and enemies of Fairy Tail don't tend to last very long."

I still can't see his face, but an aura of menace rolls off him in waves. I try to breathe, but it feels as if I'm being choked by his essence alone. A sharp slap echoes through the room and my head hits the ground hard. I didn't even see his hand move.

I try to focus on him again, but my mind is a jumbled mess. He leans close to my spinning head and strokes my hair with mock tenderness. "You give me any more lip and I'll be less inclined to let you live." He purrs.

"Why-," I gasp. "Why do you let me live?"

I can sense him smiling ghoulishly above me.

"Well, I guess you got me. You're life isn't really in my hands, though I'm sure the Master would forgive me if I were to . . . slip up." He said, tracing my cheek gently. "You see, the Master's out for a bit of revenge and you seemed like the perfect target. You might not be weak, but you're vulnerable; a soft spot in the iron hard skin of Fairy Tail. You're loved there and the Master want's to inflict pain."

My breath speeds in my chest, coming out broken and ragged.

"Oops, it seems I've spoken too much. I guess this makes it easier, though. The Master would like to see you no, Miss. Hearfilia."

With that last regard and two swift slices of his blade, he seizes me roughly by the upper arm and drags me from the dark room and down a dim hallway, uninhibited by the taunt bonds. I do my best to limp after him, but I can't see straight and the floor continually betrays me.

Soon I find myself thrown to the floor, though the impact is more forgiving than I expected. Thin carpet covers the ground here and I sigh in short-lived relief. The door slams shut and I roll to my back, determined to get up as many times as it takes. How could I ever face Natsu again if I just gave up? No, there was never any question. I will fight. I will fight until I'm broken and bleeding, and then I will get up again. I may not have my keys or my whip or my friends, but I'll never be without their spirit.

I can hear Natsu screaming for me to stand and face my enemy.

I can hear Erza telling my coolly to take in my surroundings.

I can hear Gray tell me to spread my legs into a stronger stance and pay attention.

I can hear Wendy tell me to be strong.

I can feel them holding me up when all I want to do is fall down.

My knees shake and my joints creak and crack as I sway into a standing position. The room is bare but for a plain desk and two book shelves. A tall, lean man sits on the desk. Shock jolts through me; this man is barely older than me. Dark shaggy hair covers his eyes and a smile is painted madly on his face.

He unfolds his lanky form and saunters towards me until our faces are mere centimeters apart. "You have fight. I'm going to enjoy breaking you. And when I'm done, I'm going to display your broken body for the world to see. I'm going to laugh as your friends cry."

"They will find you. You will regret angering Fairy Tail."

He rests his forehead against mine and whispers, "I am no fool, Miss. Lucy, I am not going to challenge them. I am going to sit and watch them blame themselves for not having found you in time. I know you expect your little dragon friend to sniff you out, but don't worry. You'll be long dead, and I long gone." He considers for a moment, "I think I'm done with words for now."

My eyes widen in delayed shock. I have no time to move before I feel his hand wrap around my neck and pull sharply down. I bite down on my lip hard, spilling blood as my head hits the ground, unable to properly catch myself.

Ever so slowly, I get to my feet again, and he lets me. It's once I'm up and facing him again that he moves, every one of his attacks meant to display injury.

Something glitters in his hand and my whole body recoils. Before I'm able to dodge, he's run the length of the needle-sharp blade through my left shoulder and pinned me to the wall.

Leaning close, he draws a long breath, "I can smell you, Miss. Lucy. You are so afraid. I wonder how many times you can get up."

I'm on my knees, breath hitching and clawing it's way up and down my throat. I refuse to cry. I refuse to fall. I represent Fairy Tail. I will go down fighting. My weapons are gone, my dignity torn from me, but I will fight.

I'm unable to lift my left arm at all, and my right is bent at an unnatural angle after falling on it the wrong way. My body is covered in shallow slashes.

He's taking his time, enjoying the pain. I will not satisfy him with my tears.

"Come now, Miss. Lucy. No need to be so upright! Your days at the top of the food chain are long over. You don't have to be proper anymore; go ahead and scream. Feel free to cry. Don't be afraid to let go."

Images of my friends color the inside of my eyelids, comforting me. "No." I smile, setting one foot in front of me and hauling myself upright for what I'm now sure is the last time. "No. I am a Fairy Tail wizard, and Fairy Tail wizards don't give up."

He sneers, finally sick of the game. "Well, I suppose you're sufficiently disfigured. We can't do too much damage now, or they might not recognize you. I'm impressed you're still standing." He pauses, thinking, "Sleep, knowing you have won in your mind."

Silently he slips past my field of vision and slides the point cleanly through my sternum. My knees give way and he lowers me gently to the ground. I stare at the ceiling, without the strength to move again.

Thank you. I think, grateful for the last minute of life. A millimeter higher and I would have already gone. Thank you, I repeat, three inches down and I wouldn't have been the first to die.

Mina, gomen. I stayed up as long as I could. Don't worry, you were always with me. Goodbye Erza, goodbye Grey, goodbye Wendy, goodbye Happy, goodbye Levy, goodbye mina. I'm going to miss the guild brawls and the drinking and the crazy adventures. Especially the adventures, I would have liked to go on more with you.

Goodbye Natsu. It took too long, and didn't get to last, but I guess that's how it is. Ahhhh, but there are no more words. . . .