I accepted without a moment's hesitation. Some would call me a fool, an idiot for not even grasping the idea of a deal I was going to strike with this... thing. Even now, I hardly understand what "it" is. All I know is I don't regret my decision at all. Erza... the woman I fell in love with. If I had to do it all over again, I would've. Her life meant the world to me, more than she knows herself.

My eyes lower down to the woman of my heart, her scarlet hair flowing along with the breeze of a mid-summer day. The scarf Igneel gave me firmly wrapped around her neck as her eyes were closed, sleeping on top of my chest. A smile curves along my lips.

I don't regret anything.

A groan escaped Erza's lips as her body slowly rose off the hard ground underneath her body. Her body ached, her... heart throbbed in insurmountable pain. Her eyes shot open. "Natsu!" was her first word, shooting off the ground before gritting her teeth at her shaky balance.

"Erza take it easy!" Gray placed a hand on her shoulder, but she pulled away to turn to look at him with practically the eyes of death.

"Where... is Natsu?"

Tears immediately made their way down the ice mage's cheeks. His teeth gritted together so tightly that he could practically crack a tooth. Gray hated himself for leaving Natsu behind, but what other choice did he have? Natsu was on deaths door, practically begging him to escape while they still could. He knew Erza would take this blow the hardest, but he wasn't backing down. "He's... he's gone Erza..." he barely responded in a mere whisper, his body shaking uncontrollably until he felt a pair of arms wrap around him from behind, belonging to Lucy who could let her tears flow.

"Gray... what do you mean he's go-"

"I SAID HE'S GONE ERZA! DEAD, NO LONGER IN THIS WORLD WITH US!" Gray practically snapped, scaring Erza and Lucy as he dropped to his knees in mere defeat. "He told me... no.. begged me to get you all out of that place," his fist collided with the ground in a bout of anger. Anger towards himself for not saving his friend, his rival, his brother. "I didn't have a choice! He wasn't going to make it..."

Erza's heart felt like it shattered on impact of his word. Her knees buckled as they fell to the ground. "N-no..." she choked on her words. "Please... this can't be true!" Her eyes welled up with tears. Natsu couldn't be gone... he just couldn't be. Her thoughts lingered back on the moment they were about to share. Their lips were barely inches from each other's. "NOOOOO!!!!" She screamed to the top of her lungs, sinking further and deeper into her own despair.

The next thing she knew a pair of arms wrapped around her belonging to Gray. She didn't fight him off, she didn't push away. Her face buried into his chest, sobbing her heart out for the whole world to hear.

"I... I loved him..."

"I know..." Gray responded in a whisper, running his hands through her scarlet hair in some way of hopefully comforting the distraught knight. "He loved you too... that's why he gave his life to save yours. T-that damn idiot..." he couldn't take it no longer. His tears flowed freely as his body was racked with sobs.

Lucy hugged a sobbing Happy to her chest. "Natsu..."

The first friend she ever made in Fairy Tail. The one who changed her life for the better. Knowing her best friend was gone, she felt incomplete as she knows the others at the guild will be once they return. Her heart broke most for Erza. A woman that's known only suffering in her whole life, a past friend who betrayed her who she thought she loved. Now when her heart had finally opened up to someone who meant the world to her, someone she could finally love and have her feelings returned. They are snatched from her without a care.

Wendy sobbed in her own place, clutching a tear-striken Carla to her chest. Natsu was an older brother to the young dragon slayer, someone she looked up to the most right next to Gajeel. She felt so helpless to help Natsu. Even if they did save him from that evil place, his wounds were way too critical to treat. The blade was big enough to puncture every vital organ he had, no one and she meant KNOW one could survive that. No matter how much she wished he would come walking out of that cave, wondering why his family was crying.

Erza slowly stood up from the ground, her hair shadowing her eyes. "I'm going back in there..." she weakly declared, walking past Gray who grabbed a hold of her hand with a vice grip. "Gray let go... please..."

"He's gone Erza... do you really want to see his lifeless body? What about that place? Those things are still in there! We aren't strong enough to even face something of that... level."

The knight merely ripped her hand from his grasp. "If you won't help me then fine... I'm going in there. I want..." her fists clenched tightly till her knuckles were white. "No... I have to see him and give him a proper burial, instead of laying to rot in that god forsaken place..."

As much as he wanted to fight with her on not going back in there. He couldn't; the look in her eyes was someone who wasn't going to stray from this path. "Then at least let me go in there with yo-"

"No... stay out here," she ordered in a weak stern tone, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Contact Master, let him know of what's happened here... I will return shortly," Erza said before walking into the mine, her body being engulfed by shadows.

Gray sat on the ground with clenched fists. 'Why did you do it Natsu...?' he thought with a set of fresh tears flowing down his cheeks. His eyes focused on the sun, peeking over the horizon with a deep sigh escaping his lips. "Damn it Natsu..."

Even if her movements were slow, she didn't stop for one moment. Erza followed the path they had taken. Her body was completely on auto pilot as her thoughts lingered on Natsu. "Why... why does everything I love get taken away from me?" She questioned herself in sorrow. Her heart ached beyond compare, her legs and body shook with every step. Even wearing her armor, she felt weak, helpless to find him.

She stopped for a moment to steel her nerves. Was she prepared for what she would find? Then those images invaded her mind. Natsu laying motionless on the ground with a large hole in his body, a blood pool around him. His pale skin, the warmth that he radiated gone. Her stomach twisted into many knots as a wave of nausea overtook her. Erza clutched onto the wall with a ragged breath, before she leaned over to let loose some bile from her throat. She raised her gauntlet to wipe the excess from her lips. "Natsu... why did you leave me? Did those words you told me when you saved me from that tower mean nothing?!" She reeled her hand back to clench into a fist before smashing it into the wall, causing a small crater from the impact.

If she could look at herself now, she would be disgusted. A deranged woman who was hoping, praying for a miracle that wasn't going to come true. 'I have.. I have to keep going' she reasoned with herself that she was doing the right thing. No matter what she found, she was going to find him. With that she continued on her path, her ragged breaths echoing across the mine.

Her legs stopped at the tunnel that took them to that... place. Erza clenched her fists tightly together before moving forward. Her boots gently stomped along the path in front of her. But when there were no blue torches that once illuminated the path were gone. "W-what?" was her eyes deceiving her in her state of grief? Regardless she kept going, until her body froze. Just a few feet from her was someone she believed was dead. She took a couple more steps towards his body with wide eyes. Was this some kind of trick? Some cruel hallucination made for her to suffer more than she already was?

What was once a giant door way to that room; was now a dead end with a rocky wall surface, confusing Erza further. Natsu was propped up against the wall with his head dipped down. His rose colored hair matted down with blood and dirt. The black one sleeved vest he wore now torn apart around his entire chest. Erza slowly reached out to touch him, before recoiling it away in utter shock. She covered her mouth, tears streaming down her cheeks. "N-natsu..."

He made no response in return before she uncovered her hands to examine his body. "W-where are his wounds? He was stabbed... I know he was," Erza's shaky hands gently ran along his chest, feeling a long scar where his wound once was. She lifted his head slowly with baited breath. Natsu's eyes were closed. "Please..." she whispered, slowly lowering her head towards his chest, closing her eyes to focus on her hearing.

Thump Thump

Natsu's heartbeat rung true as she shot up with the biggest smile on her face. "Y-you are alive... thank kami... I don't know how you are, but I don't care," she stood up off the ground before leaning down to scoop him up in her arms. "L-lets go home."

After Erza had departed to find Natsu; Gray contacted Makarov about the situation. To say it wasn't the hardest conversation of his life would be an understatement. He could hear the old man stifling back his emotions the best he could. But how could he? He lost one of his children, his family had taken the heaviest blow that nobody saw coming. They were were told to stay where they were, and he would be on his way with help.

"Erza still hasn't come back," Lucy said, concern filling her body the longer she looked at the entrance of the mine. "S-shouldnt we go in there to find her?"

Gray lifted his head to run a hand through his hair with a sigh. "Just let her be... it's hard for all of us, but I can't imagine what she's even feeling right now. They were so close to getting together..." he clenched his fists tightly together, before letting another sigh escape his lips. "B-but now she's heartbroken and it's my fault! If I could've just done something... anything!"

He felt a hand on his as he raised his head to look at Lucy who tried to smile the best she could. "You did what you had to Gray. What would Natsu say to you sulking like this? He would want us to keep moving forward, and celebrate the years we spent together."

'I hate it when she's right... I'm sure if you were listening right now Natsu you would be dissapointed in me. Sulking and self-blame isn't an option... I will make sure Erza doesn't fall to the dark, that's a promise' Gray's hand squeezed his shirt where his black Fairy Tail mark was. 'I'll never forget you... brother.'

Suddenly, a set of feet planted on the ground causing everyone to turn. There was there master with Mest, and a couple of rune knight's from the magic council at his sides. The old man's eyes scanned over their bruised, bloody bodies. His heart ached in his chest as he stepped forward. "M-my children.. I'm sorry I wasn't here when this happened..." he looked around, noticing Erza's disappearance. "Where is Erza?"

Gray pointed towards the mine's entrance with a deep frown. "She went back in to find.. him. Even though he's gone, she refuses to believe it. She wants to bury him..."

The old man lowered his head with clenched fists, tearing up heavily. One job as a parent is to ensure his children are safe, happy and loved. He failed in that goal. He released a deep breath, adjusting his wizard saint coat. "Stay here.. we'll go search."

The sound of footsteps echoed from the mines. Everyone's attention turned towards the sound. Erza slowly emerged from the darkness with Natsu safely secured in her arms. But to their shock she wasn't crying, nor was she sad. There was a bright smile on her face. "E-erza why did yo-"

"He's alive master," Erza stated with a teary smile. "He's breathing right now.. even as I hold him," she walked towards the group to gently place him on the ground.

Gray couldn't believe his eyes as they focused on his chest. "W-where is the-"

"I'm not sure..." Erza replied, unsure herself of what to make of this situation. "I found him at the end of the tunnel. The doors we entered were gone, like it didn't even exist to begin with. He was propped up against the wall when I found him."

Makarov slowly but hesitantly walked up to Natsu's body. He leaned down to press two fingers to his neck, closing his eyes for a moment. A gentle thump resonated against his fingers with wide eyes. "H-he is alive! Mest get us back to the guild at once!"

"Natsu!" Happy cried out, flying towards his foster father to nuzzle his chest, clutching onto him as tightly as he could. Erza smiled softly at the duo as Gray couldn't help but smirk.

"Even on deaths door, he still found a way back. Sounds like Natsu alright."

"We will stay and search the area Saint Makarov," One of the knight's said, bowing their heads. "We will ensure the client of this request pays your members the full amount as was written."

"Thank you, but I care more about my children's lives than some measly jewels," Makarov waved his hand dismissively as they bowed their heads to him.

"Understood."

Erza reached down to scoop Natsu into her arms with a smile, resting her cheek against his. Happy floated to sit on top of her head, watching him intently. "We're going home Natsu.."

Mest took a hold of the mages present, focusing on the destination in mind. He closed his eyes, before suddenly the mages were gone in a flash. The only ones left standing there were the rune knight's who turned towards the mine's entrance.

"What do you think we'll find in there?"

"Who knows... those kids went through a lot. Let's do our investigation, report our findings and get the hell out of here," The rune knight spoke, before heading towards the entrance, the other following behind him.

"Understood."

So obviously this chapter was much shorter for obvious reasons. I had multiple options I could've taken, but this felt most appropriate. Let me explain: I could've had Team Natsu excluding Natsu obviously, they return back to the guild. Everyone finds out about his death, a funeral takes place yadda yadda. I feel that would've added too much angst to this already angst filled story. Plus I was thinking in my head of how Erza would react to this situation. First and foremost she would be distraught, angry at herself for failing to save him.

So, I thought to myself: she wouldn't just stand idly by and do nothing about this. She would go in to search for him, even if she didn't like what she found from it. The last thing is the relationship I've set up for these two as a whole. She is grieving over this loss, but in the back of her mind she's in denial of this loss. So to confirm her own fears, she went back inside to find him. But in the end she was merely lying to herself and give herself false hope.

Plus I don't want to copy Solo Leveling completely. In the anime or Manga he is found by two hunters, and taken to the hospital. So I want to do my own spin on this the best way I can. I hope you understand my decision.

Last thing, the amount of notifications I'm getting on this app for follows and favorites on this story is insane guys. I never thought this would be an interesting concept to people, but I can only hope I can deliver what you want. Once again, reviews are always appreciated, just let's me know if I'm either doing a good job, or something needs work somewhere. Your opinion matters as much as my own.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you all in the next one. Later :)