So this one is based on an original story I'm writing, the beginning of which is on this site, under All Magic Has Secrets. It's set in a D&D style world; Lucy is a sneaky mage and Natsu is a fighter. They're on a team with Levy and Gajeel and work for a treasure hunting company. Lucy's magic comes from a very powerful magical being (like warlocks in D&D) who she only refers to as He/Him and absolutely hates. I wrote this as though they were my main protag and her teammate, so there's a lot of other stuff that helps set the scene, but with that bit it should make sense.

Also Gimeral is basically my version of ASL.

As always, thanks for the love and happy reading!

Lucy watched as Jackal bounced off a tree, his head making a satisfying crack against the bark. As she moved from behind Natsu to stand next to him, she finally realized Natsu hadn't blocked the blow with his sword. Jackal's sword stuck out of Natsu's chest right next to his heart. Without a sound, he sank to his knees and then onto his side.

"Oh no." She got down on her knees and tried to stop the bleeding. "Natsu? Natsu, can you hear me?" She couldn't hear him breathing through his helmet, so she slowly pulled it off. Blood oozed out of the corner of his mouth and his skin was too pale. She screamed over her shoulder, "Levy!"

Natsu's ragged breath made her turn back. His eyes were open and he was looking at her, trying to speak. "Don't talk, just focus on breathing, okay? Levy will be right here. You're going to be alright." She shouted again for their friend over her shoulder.

Slowly, Natsu took Lucy's hand and squeezed. When she turned back, he raised his other hand to sign in Gimeral. I'm sorry, Lucy.

"You saved me, you have nothing to apologize for. Please just hold on." She could see blood oozing through some of the openings in his armor.

I do. I lied to you.

"What? What do you mean you lied?"

I have not… been honest… with you. His signing was getting slower, his hands not forming the words as well anymore.

"Please Natsu," she begged. She felt her eyes beginning to water. "Please, you're going to be okay. You can tell me after we take care of you." Her efforts to stop the bleeding were not helping, so she quickly stood and looked around. She couldn't see either of their friends coming yet. "Levy! Gajeel!" She felt Natsu touching her foot. She hunched down again. "They're coming," she lied. "You're going to be fine." Hurriedly, she went through the pack on her back. As she expected, there were no healing implements. Since she was always in the shadows, she was rarely ever hurt and didn't need them.

Again, he grabbed her hand, his breathing barely a whisper. She met his eyes again and saw he was crying. He raised his hand slightly. In slow, careful movements, he signed again. When he finished, his hand fell back down and his breathing stopped, his final breath leaving him in a crackle. When she looked at his eyes, they were closed, tears still leaking out. A fury built in her, making her want blood. Looking up, she spotted Jackal still unconscious at the base of the tree she'd flung him into. She could feel her entire body heating up from her anger. She wanted to kill him, to torture him slowly, to pay him back for what he'd done to Natsu.

As she started to stand, ready to rip Jackal to pieces, Natsu's hand in hers stopped her. She looked for a long time at Natsu's face, memorizing it, allowing herself to feel all of the emotions inside her. Then she slowly pulled the sword from his body and sat him up. She wrapped her arms around Natsu, and reached out to Him.

Using her power, she reached out to His home. She pushed her power farther than she'd ever tried to push it before. She used all the anger, all the fury, all the emotion she could muster and reached as hard as she could. It took a lot of effort, but this time when she arrived, she arrived physically, inside of his home, with Natsu in her arms.

As she stared down at her friend, she felt the air stir in front of her, felt the heat coming off Him. "How did you get your body here?" He asked. "Why did you bring someone? What is going on?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, tears falling onto Natsu's body. "Help him," she whispered.

He leaned down and surprised her by carefully taking her hand. "He is gone, Lucy."

"No." She pulled her hand away and carefully fixed Natsu's hair, moving it out of his face. "He isn't. You can fix it."

"I'm sorry, I can't."

"Yes, you can."

"No," he said, taking her hand once more. "I can't. He's gone."

"I will do anything you ask me to do." Her voice cracked, but she soldiered on. "I will be at your beck and call for the rest of my life. I will never fight you about anything- I won't question you about anything you tell me to do." She pulled her hand from His and hugged Natsu's body to herself. "You have to fix him. For me. Please."

She heard Him sigh. "Lucy, I can't bring him back."

"Why?!" She threw her head back and yelled at Him. "To get revenge? To pay me back for not helping you out more? For not being more accommodating?"

"No, it's because I can't."

"You just don't want to."

"Lucy." He put his hand on her back. "I am unable to help him."

"I don't believe you," she said, shrugging Him off.

"It doesn't make it less true. The last time I used my power, I gave it away."

She looked at Him, incredulous. "Why would you do that? That doesn't sound like you at all."

"I did it so that I could be freed."

Slowly, the realization dawned on her as she locked eyes with Him. He looked at her with a combination of sadness and regret. "But…" Lucy trailed off, unable to put her realization into words.

"I gave you the last of my magic, Lucy. I wish that I could, but I cannot help him."

Her eyes widened. "Does that mean that I-"

"No." He cut her off. "You do not know how to manipulate the magic correctly and cannot learn since you are not a demon. I'm sorry Lucy," He repeated.

"He is gone."

That night, Lucy laid in her room, alone, staring at the ceiling. When she had returned to the forest with Natsu, Gajeel and Levy had been tying up Jackal. They'd loaded him up, along with Natsu's body, and come back to the guild. She'd left them to take care of Jackal and had taken Natsu with her to take care of his body. After one of the healers had agreed to preserve him for her for a while, she'd stopped by the hall for a large tankard of ale and gone to her room.

She replayed the events of the day in her head over and over again, trying to figure out where she'd gone wrong, what she could have changed. Natsu's death was her fault and she had to try and fix it. The tankard she had gotten had been emptied, filled, emptied and filled again.

The numbing effect of the ale was a welcome distraction. As she watched the ceiling dance, she once again replayed the fight in her head.

Getting split up from the others. Natsu calling for her as she went from tree to tree, trying to outrun Jackal. The swing coming at her and suddenly being blocked by her friend. His tears as he'd signed to her one last time.

I have loved you since I met you.