Chapter 20

In the end, there could never be an "us"- Part 2

TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains sensitive matter with a bit of gore. If this would make you uncomfortable please skip the chapter.

Natsu felt on top of the world as he and Lucy danced under the safety of the Gazebo to Lucy's favorite song "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" by Iron & Wine. It was as if he had been put under a spell that only she could break. His hands rested on Lucy's waist as they danced to the soft music, only ever leaving to twirl her around which always elicited a giggle from Lucy's lips. He couldn't imagine the world could feel better than this, no amount of money, fame, or fortune would outweigh this moment. He would give anything to just stay here forever, with his Lucy in his arms, for all of eternity

Unfortunately, the universe had other plans as his phone began to ring loudly in his pocket. He grumbled under his breath, the perfect moment between the two being ruined. Lucy giggled as he struggled to get his phone out of his pant pocket, "Its probably one of our friends wandering where we have run off to." Lucy said.

He stared down into her eyes as they twinkled in the moonlight, for a second he slipped back into their own world, the annoying ringing of his phone disappearing into the background. That was until it began to ring again. He sighed and this time successfully grabbed his phone. Not bothering to check the caller ID, he put the phone to his ear.

"Yes?" Natsu said into the phone, his voice laced with annoyance.

"Good evening may I speak to Natsu Dragneel?" The lady on the other end of the phone asked. From her voice Natsu could tell she was some kind of receptionist or something, sounding very formal through the phone.

"Speaking." He replied, still holding a grudge against this unknown lady for ruining his moment with his girlfriend.

"Good evening Mr. Dragneel, I've called to inform you that your father, Guildarts Clive, was transported to Fiore hospital a few minutes ago. Unfortunately, there has been an accident and he's in critical condition" The lady said with no remorse in her voice. Natsu felt his stomach drop, his face paled as the words slapped him across his face.

Guildarts was no stranger to the Fiore hospital and their staff, he constantly was getting into fights and ending up there. Whether he was trying to be a vigilante and save someone, or he simply got knocked too hard during a training session at his business. The man was there so often he knew the nurses and doctors by name. At this point so did Natsu, but he didn't recognise this women's voice, she almost sounded to young to be working there yet. Natsu silenced the random thoughts as new, more important, questions flooded his mind.

"W-Wh-What happened? Is he okay? How did he get there?" Natsu said rapidly, the questions began falling out of his mouth faster than he could even speak.

"Unfortunately, I am not allowed to provide personal information on medical treatment and such of a patient on the phone other than their current status of condition, but he was brought in by EMT's less than a half hour ago. He's currently in triage, I urge that you come soon." The lady said.

Natsu felt his heart begin beating a mile a minute, he felt his anxiety rip through his chest as it ate at his insides. His knees suddenly felt weak, Guildarts was hurt, and badly this time. Fear held him close in its clutches as the worse case scenarios ran through his head. Would Guildarts die?

Lucy watched as Natsu went from slightly peeved to scared beyond his wits. She put a hand on his arm to try and comfort him, but he didn't seem to even feel it. His arms were so tense she thought they would soon snap. She leaned her head in, trying to listen to what the person on the phone said, but she heard nothing other than the faint music that still played.

"I'm on my way, t-tell him I'm on my way. Tell him he better still be alive by the time I'm there or by the gods themselves I will rip his soul back into his body and pummel him for being so reckless." He spat into the phone before he ended the call.

Natsu had told Guildarts time and time again in the past that his reckless behavior would one day reek serious consequences. He knew it was hypocritical when he said it, but Guildarts was getting older, his body couldn't handle as much as it once did. Guildarts always told him he would be just fine when he would say it, but this time he had been right. Whatever he had done this time landed him right at deaths door, he had to get there in time to remind his dad that he had a son to still raise, he didn't get to leave just yet.

Natsu dropped his arm down after ending the call, he felt like he was in shock. Suddenly the world felt fake and all too real at the same time. He looked off to no where in specific as thoughts rattled his mind.

"Natsu? Natsu what's wrong? What happened?" Lucy said concerned, she looked him in the eyes, but it was as if he wasn't here, his mind was entirely somewhere else. Finally, Natsu broke free of the revere and stared back at Lucy. He grasped onto her hand as if he needed to clutch onto something before he pummeled into the darkness. He held her hand tightly, searching for something that felt real in this moment.

"My dad, he-he's in the hospital, there was an accident…" He trailed off, tears burned his eyes as he tried to look at Lucy. He let his eyes wander to the floor, not wanting Lucy to see him this upset. He stayed like that a moment until Lucy spoke up.

"Okay well then what are we still doing here? Let's go." She said urgently as she began to pull him down the stairs of the Gazebo. He let himself be pulled by her until they were half-way up the path back to the school, suddenly the entire night had been sucked of its beauty and light, he felt sick to his stomach with each step. He pulled Lucy back, successfully stopping her from moving them forward. She turned back and gave him a confused look; shouldn't they be going this instant to the hospital?

"Natsu, why-"She began to speak when Natsu cut her off.

"Lucy, I want you to stay here. Go hang out with our friends and enjoy the rest of the night. I'll head to the hospital alone." He said coldly, he didn't mean to come off as harsh, but he didn't have the strength in him to try and comfort anyone but himself right now.

Lucy stared back at him with a confused look on her face. His words hit her hard, but she quickly bounced back knowing he didn't mean it in that way. He simply had a lot on his mind and was trying to process it. Despite that, Lucy didn't like the idea of Natsu handling this alone.

"Natsu, you shouldn't be by yourself right now. Please, let me come with you. I promise we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to but you're gonna need someone to hold your hand through this. Let that person be me." She said softly as she approached him. She placed his hand in hers once more as she cupped his cheek with another. Once more his eyes were glazed over as if lost in his own thoughts. She almost thought he didn't hear her until when he responded.

"Luce, please I'll be okay. I don't want this to ruin your night. I'll stop by the hospital to see Guildarts and call you when I have an update. Please just stay here, make the most of tonight, for me." He said, his eyes glistened with unshed tears as he looked at her. He tried with all his power to not cry; he didn't want to ruin Lucy's night. He knew how much this all meant to her, he wasn't going to let another beautiful occasion for her be ruined by his own life.

Lucy sighed, she knew that no matter what she said, Natsu was firm on his decision. Sometimes she thought she was more stubborn than Natsu, but in times like these she realized she was wrong. She let go of his hand and pulled him into a hug, his head leaned on her neck as she tried to give him a semblance of comfort.

"Okay…. Please just- If you change your mind and want me there you call, okay? I'll be there in the blink of an eye." She whispered as she stroked his hair. She felt him begin to shake as he tried to contain his emotions. Her heart broke for the boy, he had already lost his parents so this must have brought back a lot for him. She couldn't imagine receiving a similar call about Alex, if she did, she would shatter into pieces on the floor.

Although Natsu didn't respond, she knew he had heard her. She pulled away and cupped his face once more.

"He's going to be okay? You hear me? Guildarts is the strongest person there is. He's not going anywhere anytime soon." She said quietly. She knew her words wouldn't make him feel much better, but that didn't mean she couldn't try.

Once more Natsu remained quiet, as if he was in flight or fight and couldn't comprehend the purpose of speaking at this moment. He leaned down and kissed Lucy's cheek, saying goodbye that way since he feared that if he opened his mouth, a sob would pass through. He than ran off from her, completely disregarding grabbing his coat from inside. Lucy was left standing there in the cold, watching as his figure retreated into the darkness.

… … …

Natsu sped down the streets, his adrenaline pumping hard through his body as he ran every red light. He slammed on the gas pedal, his mind buzzing as he whispered the same thing over and over. "I gotta get there in time, I gotta see him." Though, his speech was half done, his mind would finish the part he didn't dare say aloud, "He's gonna die…"

Natsu faintly heard the sounds of beeping cars and the screeches of tires as he cut off multiple other drivers. Under normal circumstances, he would've feared getting into a car accident or getting arrested. But none of that seemed to matter right now, all he wanted was to drive faster, move faster, get to the hospital faster. he felt his hands shaking violently as he gripped the steering wheel, he wasn't even sure if the cold had done that or the ground-shattering anxiety that suffocated him. His vision of the streets ahead blurred, he tried not to cry, he couldn't, not yet. If he cried, then his hope of Guildarts being okay would die. And that hope was all he held onto right now, like a lifeline from falling back into the darkness.

After what felt like eternity, the hospital was finally his field of vision and he felt himself release a breath he didn't know he was holding. As he approached the intersection, he realized there was no one else on the road. That made sense as it was nearing midnight, most of the world was asleep. Plus, the route he had taken to get to the hospital was mostly back roads. Even the streets he passed through now were dead, the area looked deserted with only the glow of the streetlights to let him know they hadn't been. Since no other cars seemed to be near by, he went to go through the intersection. He had a red light but what did it matter if no one was coming from the other directions. Considering he had blown every stop sign and red light on the drive here, what would one more really be?

As he drove through the middle of the intersection, Natsu felt time slow to a pause. He saw as lights approached him on his left side. But he couldn't figure out where the light was coming from, a street pole? A biker? His heart dropped when it dawned on him what was coming his way… a car… going even faster than him. Before he could even see the car coming at him, it hit him at a ground-breaking speed.

He felt as the car collided with his, smashing him sideways as his car rolled over and over. He heard the crack of his ribs as he was hit directly where he sat. The windshield shattered into his face, getting shards in his eyes. He felt the airbag explode on his face as it tried to protect him from the already done damage. The world spun on its axis as he was pushed through space and time. Suddenly everything went black. The world went silent as his brain shut off, trying to save his conscious mind from having to live through this terrifying moment. "Would this moment be my last?" His mind thought as it slowly faded into nothingness…

When Natsu came to, his car had stopped rolling. He sat upside-down with only his seatbelt securing him from falling to the floor. He tried to move but couldn't, although he didn't feel the pain, he knew something was horrifyingly wrong, his arms didn't respond to his brains commands to get him out. He looked at his right arm to see it bent at a horrid angle, it looked beyond broken as it laid lifelessly wrapped onto the steering wheel. He struggled to take a breath as the reality of the situation became clear to him, he was stuck like this, on a hidden backroad right before the hospital.

His ears began to ring as he felt something warm and wet drop onto his face, he thought they were tears until he looked at his legs, he felt grim as he stared at his right leg. A large shard of glass stuck straight through it. Although he didn't pay attention a lot in biology, he knew a major artery ran through there and based on the amount of blood seeping from the wound, the glass had slashed right through it.

Natsu struggled to stay conscious as the blood pooled in his head. He managed to get his left arm free and moving enough to unlatch his seat belt. He fell from his seat onto the roof of his car, which sat on the street. He took ragged breaths as he shifted himself upright, the adrenaline in his body may have not allowed him to feel it, but he knew in that moment he was dying. He crawled with his bare hands out of the car and onto the street, cutting his hands with the glass that laid on the floor. He decided that if he was going to die that he would get to do so under the stars.

As he laid back on the road, he looked up at the constellations. Despite it being dead of winter, he could see the night sky clearly, all the stars shown brightly in the dark. He slowly felt the cold on his body, but instead of turning to shield himself from it, he welcomed the cold air on his skin. He let himself relax a little as he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, it was the person who had hit him. He wondered if they were all right, maybe they would be able to help him. Though he didn't act on it, he didn't try to call for help or tell them he was still alive, instead he became eerily still as he let the winter night lull him into unconsciousness.

… … …

Laxus pulled himself out of his vehicle, which aside from the cracked windshield and bashed in front end, was still driveable. He wiped his nose of the blood that ran down it, it was sheer luck that the crash wasn't fatal for him too, but then again, he had planned it that way.

He watched as Natsu crawled from his car, he looked feral as he pulled himself out and laid on the road. Laxus smiled, he had warned Lucy that he wasn't to be tested, and yet she still did. This to him was only the means to an end. He planned on destroying Natsu, and this was only the first step.

He walked towards the dying boy and crouched to his level, Natsu laid still, only the subtle rise and fall of his chest indicating that he was still in fact alive, but not for long considered how bad he was hurt.

"Don't think about dying yet," Laxus said as he hovered over the boy, "I ain't done with you… I'm gonna destroy you, just like you destroyed her." He spat.

Laxus stood up and pulled out his phone, he hit send on his text and walked down one of the dark streets, leaving Natsu alone to die.

… … …

Lucy sat in the gazebo, it had been an hour since Natsu left but she hadn't heard anything from him. A bad feeling grew within her, the same one she had felt that day in the dress store. She wasn't sure why, but the entire situation just felt off to her, like this was some sort of set-up. Lucy wiped her face with her hands as she told her mind to shut up, she was letting her irrational fears of Laxus get the best of her.

Lucy stood up and began to pace the Gazebo, she tried Natsu's phone 3 times but got no answer. She texted him a few times too but alas still received nothing. She tried to remain calm, "he probably isn't on his phone as he's focused on Guildarts." She told herself. But despite that logic in that statement, she knew it wasn't true. Something just didn't sit right but she didn't have enough puzzle pieces to figure it all out yet.

She began to shiver from the cold, she had sat out here far too long, the once clear sky had now become clouded and grey again as it began to snow softly. But she couldn't bring herself to go back inside, she wouldn't allow herself to forget about this and try to have fun like Natsu had asked. How could she do such a selfish thing while he was out there, alone, in the cold.

She heard the footsteps of people as her friends joined her in the Gazebo, their faces lit up when they saw all the decorations, but they soon fell when they saw Lucy. She was on the verge of tears, something was wrong, her mind was screaming it.

"Lu... Lucy? What's happened? Did you and Natsu get into a fight?" Levy asked. She picked up her dress and walked up the stairs into the gazebo to meet her friend.

"No…no actually he asked me to be his girlfriend. It was all so amazing until…" She trailed off.

"What is it Lucy?" Grey asked as all their friends now joined them. His face looked concerned as well.

"I know this is gonna sound crazy, okay? But would you believe me if I said I just know Natsu is in trouble right now?" She whispered; she looked down as she prepared for her friends to make fun of her. But they didn't, she saw their faces wash with concern instead.

"What do you mean you 'know' he is?" Jellal asked. The tension between the group was now growing as they realized something was horribly wrong.

"I can feel it. I just know… Something bad has become of him and we have to go and find him." She said. She knew she sounded like a bat-shit crazy girlfriend, but she also knew Natsu. No matter how upset he was, he would've texted her the second he made it to the hospital, when he found Guildarts, how he was doing, all of it.

"Where did he go?" Erza asked.

"He got a call from the hospital saying his dad had been admitted and was in rough shape, they said he needed to go right away." She responded as her teeth began to chatter. Her fingertips were loosing feeling as the frost ate away at her nerves.

"No that can't be." Grey said in a confused tone. Lucy looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Why? What do you know?" She asked, her voice pleading for answers.

"He…He called me like 10 minutes ago. He wanted to know if Natsu had made it to the party safe because he hadn't been answering his texts…" Greys eyes widened as it now hit him. Someone had lured Natsu out, Lucy had been right.

"Oh god…" Lucy said as a tear slipped free. The bad feeling in her chest ran to all her limbs as she felt the terror of what was really happening. Just then she heard her phone buzz. She quickly picked it up, hoping it would be a text from Natsu saying he was safe. She hoped that she would feel like an idiot for ever thinking something happened. But the text was not from Natsu

Unknown: "I warned you, now you're all gonna pay." The text read.

Authors Note: Yay Drama! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I honestly didn't think I would be able to write the entire chapter today but I'm super happy I did. Anyways hope you enjoy the rest of your day/night and let me know what you thought of this chapter! Cya

I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTER'S; I simply write the plot :) All rights are reserved by the creators of Fairy Tail.