Lucy's lungs burned as she frantically shoved through the bushes, not giving a care about the branches that tore through her clothes. She could remember the frantic look on Carla's face when she snatched Wendy up like a bird, not bothering to give an explanation or anything. She summoned Loke and told him to guard the bandits as he nodding, demanding she catch up with her team. "Natsu please be okay!" She shouted out loud with tears streaming down her cheeks.
Guilt began to well up inside her, making her stomach twist into multiple knots. 'Would if something happened to Natsu, to Erza! Oh kami I wouldn't forgive myself for doing nothing!' she thought with gritted teeth.
A another explosion rung through the air, only hastening her efforts to move faster, her lungs burning from the lack of oxygen. But she didn't care about anything. The only thing she cared about is Natsu, hating her lack of a plan to tell him the truth. "Maybe he was distracted, maybe he got badly hurt!" Her mind raced to no end of every negative scenario. "Dammit legs move!" She screamed in frustration, panting heavily as she passed through another clearing.
"NATSU PLEASE STOP!"
Lucy heard Erza scream to the top of her lungs. She vaulted over a log, pushing past the final clearing, stopping dead in her tracks at the scene before her. Blood littered the ground, parts of the ground were blown to pieces to show a brutal battle had taken place. Her eyes landed on a bloodied Natsu who was slumped in Erza's shaking arms. She covered her hands over her mouth in horror, not believing the seen before her.
"What a fucking shit show," Gray muttered under his breath, staring down at the duo on the ground. Erza was sobbing, clutching onto Natsu's body as tight as she possible could.
"N-natsu... no..." She peeled off the ground into a sprint towards the duo to her lungs dismay. "NATSU!"
Gray turned his head towards Lucy, as did Erza. "Lucy! Why aren't you with the bandits?!"
"I left Loke to guard them!" She replied frantically before skidding to a stop in front of Erza, slowly reaching out her hand to Natsu's body who looked limp. "I-is he?" Lucy didn't even dare ask the rest of the question, fearing the worst.
To her shock, Erza slapped it away. "STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM!" She screamed to the top of her lungs, glaring daggers into the blond that made Lucy made hesitant steps back in pure utter shock of Erza's anger.
"E-erza why did yo-"
"This is your fault Lucy!" Erza fully turned, still clutching to Natsu's slumped body protectively. Through gritted teeth and a snarl, she pointed her finger sharply in Lucy's direction. "If you weren't being so cruel to Natsu, he would've been focused! He was so fucking hung up on what he did to upset you, he didn't realize he stepped on a magic circle mine!" She turned Natsu's body to Lucy who gasped sharply at his state.
"N-Natsu..." Lucy's voice broke as she dropped to her knees in horror. She noticed gauze wrapped around his arms and head, and a gauze bandage around his left eye with dry blood. His once spikey pink hair was coated in crimson, matted down completely as he slowly breathed.
Erza's anger only flared up at the blond's pitiful look. She growled under her breath, her body shaking In a blood curdled rage. It was her fault this happened, her fault that Natsu was nearly killed. Forgiveness wouldn't even be a word from her for Lucy, only pure adultered hatred. "You... you did this to him Lucy. Don't you even dare feel sorry for yourself now! He nearly died," she pierced Lucy's eyes with a furious glare. "HE LOST HIS FUCKING EYE BECAUSE OF YOU!"
"Erza that's enough!" Gray stood in between the two before this situation escalated any further. "I'm just as angry as you are this happened Erza, but tearing at each other's throats isn't gonna get us anywhere," he gently pointed to Natsu. "We need to get Natsu back to the guild as quick as possible, we'll notify the master to let the client know the job was completed."
The tears that Erza held back streamed once more, like a never ending waterfall. She looked down at the dragon slayer with soft eyes, gently caressing his cheek. "Y-your right, let's get out of here."
"Natsu..." Happy's lip quivered at his foster father's sorry state. He nuzzled his chest, whimpering as Gray reached his arms around Natsu, careful not to open another wound.
Erza helped him, by slinging his arms across Gray's shoulder, and hooked his legs around the ice mage's waist. "Can you carry him Gray?"
"He may be a ton of bricks on my back, but I will carry this idiot as far as I need to," Gray said confidently, securing Natsu on his back. "Let's get going."
Erza slowly nodded her head, glancing down at the charred up man with a disgusted look. 'If I wouldn't of stopped Natsu, he would've killed that man...' She thought morbidly as the group began their trek to the station. Her eyes never left Natsu's body that was slumped over Gray. Guilt welled up inside her from his broken body. 'If I was just faster, If I didn't let him push me, I could've...' she shook her head of the nagging thoughts that scratched at her skull. 'Natsu wouldn't want you thinking this way... just focus on him and his recovery' she lifted her hand to her right eye with a frown. Now Natsu would have to go through the same thing she did. At least Porlyusica would be able to make him an artifical eye.
Lucy took the occasional glance towards Natsu, feeling her heart shatter at every moment. She still remembered Erza's words that rang through her mind, like a never ending recording.
"It's your fault this happened to him! If he wasn't so hung up on how you were treating him, he would've saw he stepped on a magical circle mine!"
"HE LOST HIS FUCKING EYE BECAUSE OF YOU!"
The blond clenched her eyes shut, shaking her head, biting her lip so hard that it drew blood. The taste littered her tongue as she swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. How was she supposed to tell him now after this? She was so damn hung up on her feelings about him, it caused him to get severely hurt. She hated herself to the core of her being. Natsu didn't deserve a friend like her, a so called best friend who has been nothing but cold to him. He deserved someone much better than her, someone who actually loved him, someone who put his interests at heart, someone who would be there through everything for him, someone like... Erza.
Her eyes loomed over the distraught, crestfallen knight who's eyes were glued to Natsu's body. Lucy frowned deeply, holding back the tears that welled up. Erza was her best friend, someone she trusted with her life, someone who she talked to about anything. She still remembered the last conversation they had.
Erza had come over late at night, knocking on her window. Thinking it was Natsu she rushed over, only to be met with scarlet hair. "Erza?" She raised her brow in confusion, glancing at the time, it was past midnight. "Why are you here so la-" She froze in her sentence, noticing black mascara that ran down her eyes, like she had been crying for a long time. Instead of her usual blouse and skirt, she wore a scarlet red dress with long black gloves that went up her arms. Her hair she could tell was in a tied bun, but it was in a slight mess at the moment with hairs standing out.
"C-can I come in?" Erza asked in a shaky voice, nearly pleading with the blond to let her in.
"O-of course Erza," Lucy stepped away from the window as the knight climbed into her room, taking a seat on the couch.
Lucy took a seat next to her with a deep frown. "Erza, what's wrong and why are you crying?"
Erza bit her lip, averting her gaze from the blond. "It's... It's Jellal..."
"What did he do now this time?" Lucy asked with a slight glare.
The knight's lip quivered as she clenched her arm tightly. "I... I finally confessed my feelings to him. I love him.. he may of put me through hell in that tower, and did many unspeakable things but it truly wasn't him. He's trying to change, to be a better person... At first he seemed delighted at the idea, so we set up a date plan together... b-but.. when I got there.. he.. he didn't show up and left a lacrima message apologizing about standing me up, but he told me I deserve someone better than him. Said he doesn't deserve me after all the pain he's put me through..." her teeth clenched together tightly as tears began to stream down her cheeks once more. "W-why can't he just move on from the past?! If Natsu can forgive him, why can't he forgive himself!"
"Natsu hasn't forgiven him Erza."
Erza stared at the blond in shock with her mouth slightly agape at this information. "W-what?"
Lucy turned her body completely in Erza's direction with a stern look, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked off to a part of her room. "Natsu, hasn't forgiven anything Jellal has done. We talked about it after the war, because I mentioned you were gonna try to ask him out. Erza, you should've seen the look in Natsu's eyes. There was anger, resentment, pure hatred that I've never seen him have for a person. He told me he would never forgive Jellal for the hell he put you through, the tears he made you shed that day, and even now. He hates that man with a passion Erza. He told me you deserve someone who will protect your heart with everything they have, not break it..."
Erza stared in shock, feeling a blush creep up on her cheeks. She couldn't believe the words Lucy spoke about Natsu. Did he truly hate Jellal that much? Was there truly not a forgiving bone in his body for the azura mage? Did she... truly forgive him? Her eyes looked down at the floor as she clenched her fists tightly. 'Natsu... I.. I had no idea you felt that way... why didn't you tell me?'
Lucy could see the thoughts processing in Erza's head as she reached out to touch her clenched fist. "Erza... he never told you this because he cares about you deeply, more than anyone in the guild. He just wants you to be happy, and so do I," she smiled sadly, rubbing the girl's hand in comfort.
Erza's lip quivered as she chuckled softly, wiping her tears with a small smile. "That idiot... why can't he look out for himself for once?"
"It's just in his nature, Erza you should know that better than anyone," she grinned softly. "Natsu Is the most selfless person I've ever met."
"He really is," the knight smiled, pulling Lucy into a tight hug. "Thank you Lucy... I needed this."
Lucy smiled softly, leaning her head on Erza's shoulder, hugging her body tight. "Of course Erza, it's what friends do."
The last conversation that only made her heart ache. She looked at Erza, even if she wouldn't glance in her direction.
'Erza... please.. forgive me'
Tension is building in the group. Erza is furious with Lucy over what happened to Natsu. That flash back conversation was much needed to add on to the guilt that Lucy feels. But it also... hehe sets up a future for a certain pair of mages. Oh yeah and the comment Lucy made about Natsu not forgiving Jellal, it's kinda true canotically. I've read to the most recent chapter in 100 year quest, and any chance Jellal had made an appearance Natsu would be annoyed, or ask why he's even there. I truly believe Natsu hasn't forgiven Jellal for what he did to Erza. Like he said he made Erza cry and that's something he truly couldn't forgive. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this tension filled chapter, and I'll see you all in the next one. Later :)