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Hiro Mashima owns FairyTail
"What… what are you doing here!" Lucy yelled.
"Lucy…"
"No! Both you and Natsu… you were supposed to stay back in your own time.. why… why do you guys make it so hard on me!"
He took a step towards her.
She took a step back and clenched her chest.. tears began to roll down her face..
"Do you know how hard…. How hard it was for me to let you guys go..." she looked at him with pained eyes..
"And you think we didn't hurt as well…" Gray looked down at his feet..
"You think saying goodbye to you twice… wasn't destroying us.."
Lucy's eyes widened….
"For Natsu…. He saw you die twice… I don't want to experience that ever.. when we left… we all realized that we needed you.. there's so much we need to repay you back for.. so much we need to experience together… and you're my partner as much as you are Natsu's…"
He looked up at her.. a tear was running down his face…
"I want my partner back.."
"Gray…." Lucy said softly.. she ran up to him and into his arms.. "I—"
"I know… so don't push me away… I'm going to help save you.." he hugged her.
"Okay… where are we going?"
He let go of her..
"To meet someone who might be able to help."
Gajeel and Levy were on the train…
He was sitting with his eyes closed.. Levy sitting opposite from him.. holding Levy in her arms.. Lily just stared at Gajeel…
Levy watched the scenery go by..
"Lu-chan…. What happened to you… where are you?..." she thought to herself.
...
"Gajeel.. I want to find out what happened to her… Lucy would never do anything—"
"I know shortie.. that's why we're going to Mount Goyang."
"I was…. thinking the same….How did you find out I wanted to go there?"
"It was after she came back from her mission that she started acting weird.. we think there must be some clues there." Lily said now. "We've noticed some odd things about her too."
"I can't believe she was completely fine with being suspended when it was her own team's fault for leaving her behind…" Levy said clenching her fists.
"And she deliberately asked Lisanna to take her place in Team Natsu.." Lily said.
"I KNOW! That's the thing! Lucy would have never let Lisanna get a chance to take her place.. because she liked Natsu!" Levy said frustrated.
Gajeel and Lily looked at Levy wide-eyed.. Levy saw their looks and covered her mouth with realization.
"So.. bunnygirl did like Salamander…" Gajeel said in a low voice.
Levy tried to brush it off.. "I mean… of course she liked Natsu.. he was her partner… if she didn't she wouldn't have put up with all his quirks and destructiveness."
…
"Maybe… when he left her.. she lost her feelings for him…" Lily said
Levy and Gajeel looked towards Lily.. their eyes showing their shock at the possibility…
"It does explain her pushing her teammates away.. running off with a stranger none of us have ever met.." Lily said out loud..
"Although it doesn't explain her knowing Gajeel's secret soup and the items she had… there must be more.." Lily thought to himself.
"Lu-chan…." Levy said softly.. "I'm so sorry…" she hid her face in her hands.
Lily was watching Gajeel still… "Gajeel…. "
He couldn't help but be worried for his dragonslayer.. he knew that in the past couple of days.. Gajeel's affections for the blonde had grown.. Levy might have been the first girl he had tried to be friendly and "warm" with.. (at least to his standards).. but Lucy had been the only girl Lily had seen Gajeel get excited over… hearing that she had liked Natsu must have been painful.. especially knowing that Natsu was a fellow dragonslayer.. dragons slayers and their possessiveness…
He looked up at Levy… she was looking aimlessly out the window..
"Levy…. I hope you can take this opportunity to grab onto his heart.. he's finally opened it.. and now he just might close it off again…" Lily thought to himself.
Back at the guild… things had been as if everyone had frozen over. Eyes would watch the guild doors for Team Natsu to pop in.. all happy.. Natsu fighting Gray… Lucy complaining about their last mission.. Erza beating Natsu and Gray up for fighting..
But no one came.. the guild doors remained shut..
No one knew what they could do to help Team Natsu… they could only watch and be by their side if they needed anyone to lean on..
Master kept himself locked in his office.. Master Mavis watched with pain eyes how her guild was hurting so.
He stood in front of her apartment… he jumped up to the window and pushed it open.. Setting a foot inside… his heart broke at the sight… Happy flew inside and landed in the middle of the room.. his eyes wide…
The room was completely empty..
Taking hesitant steps inside… Natsu looked towards the open empty bathroom.. he went downstairs towards the kitchen… everything was gone..
If it wasn't for her scent that still lingered, it would have seemed as if no one had lived there..
He fell onto his knees.. his bangs covered his face….
"Did I do something wrong… Why… Luce…." Natsu clenched his fists…. "WHHYYYYY!" he yelled up at the ceiling… tears running hot down his face…
Happy stood trembling as he saw Natsu.. he had never expected Natsu to be so broken.. he wasn't even like this when Lisanna had died.. but here he was crumbling before him.. and Lucy… she was really gone.. it was really planned.. she had meant to leave them..
"I will find you Luce… You and Igneel.. I'll bring you both back…" he said softly to himself
Happy stood watching Natsu from afar.. trembling in the cold empty room..
Sitting alone.. his mind was plagued with guilt.. anger.. and pain.. how could she leave FairyTail.. how could she… and with who…
He was going to find out.. he might not have the ability to smell people out.. but he had the brains to track people just fine.. and if Lucy and that man had left from Magnolia by foot.. they would have needed to stop by a major town for supplies and rest.. and the closest city to Magnolia that meets the criterion.. would be Hargeon City.
Lifting his hand up to touch his necklace.. the cross…. He remembered Lucy's own bracelet…
"What's going on Lucy… why would you try to leave without telling anyone… what are you up to…"
In the corner of a bar.. he sat drinking away.. some scantily clothed women would come up and try to flirt.. but once they saw how pissed off he was… they left in a heartbeat.. it was just what he wanted.. to be left alone.. he couldn't bear be at the guild anymore.. and so he had sought out a dark corner in a random bar..
But unfortunately for him.. he couldn't catch a second to himself.. a bulky man sat down in front of him.. Laxus shot his gaze at the man and was about to electrocute him when he saw someone he'd never expected to see….
Orga Nanagear.
"Yo… Laxus…" he smirked.
"WTH are you doing here…" Laxus said glaring at him.
"Oh….. such a pissy mood you're in.." Orga crossed his arms and grinned wider.
"I'm in no mood to deal with you… go annoy someone else.." Laxus was about to poor himself another shot of whiskey.. when Orga took the whiskey bottle and poured him a shot. Laxus glared up at Orga again.. and watched the God-slayer more closely now…
"Take it as a token of my gratitude.." Orga said putting the whiskey bottle down.
"And why would I need gratitude from you.." Laxus said as he took drank the entire cup down.
Orga poured him another drink.
"WTH are you doing….." Laxus seethed.
"I'd rather be here and humiliate myself to you.. than go with Rufus to face her."
"Who?"
"Your little blonde chick."
Laxus widened his eyes.. "What?"
"sigh… we.. kind of feel like we owe her.. I mean you should know.. didn't you notice us?"
"What do you mean?"
"Yo.. it's embarrassing as it already is.. just take my drinks and let's just forget about all of it?"
"WTH ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!" Laxus slammed his fist on the table.
Orga stared wide-eyed at Laxus.. he was so confused.. but the look in Laxus' eyes.. pained and utter confusion..
"I was there at Mount Goyang.." Orga looked at Laxus face for some kind of recognition.. but none was found..
"Okay?" Laxus relaxed as Orga began to talk.. remaining silent for him to continue on.
"Rufus and I were assigned by Sting to take on the Mount Goyang mission.. it was supposedly a simple A-class mission.. but when we went… we got trapped in that witch's cure and got turned into cats with the rest of the male population that existed in the town and the mages that came to take up the mission before us."
Orga poured himself a glass and continued..
"We were stuck there for a total of 3 months.. 3 fureikn long months… until Blondie busted that witch up and lifted the curse.. when Rufus and I finally returned to our regular selves.. we got out of there as soon as we could. It would have been embarrassing for people to know that S-class Sabertooth mages couldn't even complete an A-class mission.. although it is now considered an S-class. That chick sure saved our butts didn't she? how embarrassing.. " Orga drank his whiskey.
"So.. I don't get your point.. you owe Blondie… why the heck are you saying "our"... why are you here annoying me…" Laxus seethed.. "And Blondie.. she's…"
Orga looked at Laxus funny.. "I don't know what the heck you're trying to pull… but I know it was you who was with her... "
Laxus froze… "What…..?" he thought to himself.
"Don't try to act like you don't know what I'm talking about… I saw you… your stupid attempt of hiding your scar.. and dying your hair… but you can't fool a God-slayers nose or ears.. I definitely heard and smelled you there. It was you.I'm assuming you didn't want to be seen walking around with her.. but she's actually not bad looking so I don't know why you were trying to hide yourself."
Orga lifted the whiskey bottle up to pour again.. but Laxus slammed the whiskey bottle down on the table with his hand. Orga was getting pissed off now.. he had tried being polite with Laxus.. he shot up his gaze at Laxus.. both were glaring at each other now.. the rest of the people in the bar began to move away from them..
"I was not there…." Laxus said in a low dark voice.
Orga's eyes widened..
Laxus glared at Orga…
"Tell me everything about that day.. don't leave a single detail out."
"I can do better… I can show you.." a man spoke out towards them. Laxus and Orga turned their gazes towards the source of the voice.
A man came up towards them.. he bowed.. wearing a plumaged hat.. dressed cleanly as always.. a mask..
"Hello Laxus-san… "
Laxus just glared at Rufus.. Rufus smirked..
"Would you like to see?" Rufus smiled.
"Show me."