Hi fellow fairytail readers, I am back with another chapter. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Three

7 August X793
(Literally, the day after)

Dear Mother,

I spoke to Gray. He didn't like my plan, but he gave me his word he would go through with it. I don't even know if it's possible to convert Natsu's soul over to Gray's, but at least now it gives me some comfort knowing that if it can be done, then I have Gray's word. I hate lying to him though, I hate lying to everyone. I just hope that once I'm gone, they will be able to forgive me and see that the reason I did all of this was to protect him.

"I am NOT getting on that thing!" Natsu forced his arms over his chest, narrowing his orbs at the small wooden ship that was docked at the jetty.

It was early morning and everyone had met up at the docks as was Erza's instructions. While Lucy and Gray were the first to arrive, with Erza and Wendy in tow. No one had seen Natsu and Happy since they had arrived at the train station the day before and this worried Lucy more than anyone else.

It wasn't till he made his announcement from behind them that they were able to put their worries to rest. He was stood proudly, with his backpack clutched on his shoulders and his trusted feline perched on his head, while looking over at the rocking sea boat that would not do him in favours with his motion sickness. Just looking at it made his eyes turn in circles.

"I…um, would like to second what Natsu said, please" Wendy murmured softly as she raised her hand up in the air.

"Nonsense Wendy, you'll be fine" Erza reassured her. "And we won't be on here for long mind you, just for 3 hours till we reach Era"

Sadly, Wendy's head lowered. That still meant 3 hours of rocking back and forth, with her stomach curdling with every wave the small ship hit. "3 hours…" she whispered, colour draining from her pink cheeks.

"It will be fine child, we can play games to get our mind of it" Carla said calmly as she patted her companion's sluggish shoulder. To this Wendy agreed, but was still hesitant as she stepped up the plank with Erza directing.

"It won't take us long" Gray told them. He peered back, feeling an uneasy stare burn into the back of his head only to see Natsu looking away into the distance. He frowned, switching back to Lucy who seemed to hold back herself. "You coming?" he questioned, watching her stand still.

"Yeah, just…give me a moment" she muttered lightly, her head turning carefully to the direction of the pink haired dragon. With Gray quickly catching on, he nodded his head and strolled forward on the boat, allowing Lucy to motion herself in Natsu's view.

With her hands now tied behind her back, she leant forward slightly, beaming a smile over to her partner.

"I was worried about you" she started, peering over at him as he began to walk towards her. Happy smiled, flapping his wings to jump from Natsu's head over to close the distance between them. "Where have you been?" Lucy opened her arms to accept the exceed into an embrace, her eyes remaining on Natsu as he came closer.

"We slept under the stars" Happy said proudly.

"Oh, I did wonder why I didn't you see you at the inn" she thought out loud. "Um…" she paused, watching Natsu stand before her in silence. Something seemed off, he didn't quite seem himself. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, fine" his answer was quick, but tense. And this immediately caused Lucy to frown.

"You're not, something's wrong" she pointed out. "What is it?" she tilted her head, allowing Happy to escape her grip. There was a moment's silence between them, with Lucy's eyes flickering between his to work out what he was thinking, while he remained like stone, still and hard to the touch. When Lucy decided to reach her hand out to him, he quickly backed away and waved her off, as if the conversation between them had now ended. "Wha…" she blinked in surprise, her hand still lingering in the air of where he had left her. "Natsu…have I done something-" she stopped, turning to look over her shoulder at the direction he left her in, to see that he had already climbed up onto the boat without any other word said. A tug in her chest ached as she watched the back of him storm away. "Happy…" she mumbled, eyes now casting over to the flying cat. "What…have I done?"

He shrugged his shoulders lightly, unable to answer her.

"Maybe he woke up on the wrong side of the comforter this morning" he said confusingly.

With a tug of her bottom lip, Lucy accepted that as the answer, but deep down she knew something was wrong.

OXOX

"Help me" the cries and whimpers from the dragon slayer made the team cower and shy away. 3 hours Erza had said it would take, and 3 hours had quickly turned into 7 after they were made to take a different course due to a tornado storm on the sea. Erza had quickly apologised to both Natsu and Wendy as they both held their heads over the ship deck, with pale cheeks puffy and vomit spewing with every turn they boat made.

Lucy had been the only one to tend to them both, passing them fresh water and rubbing their back as they threw up any contents of food left in their stomachs. Feeling as so he had no more to bring up, Natsu slowly slid down to the floor deck, with his eyes hazy and his mouth slightly ajar. His stomach was doing somersaults, like someone was having a party in there and he was not invited. He only managed to stir a slight whimper as Lucy sat beside him, with her knees up to her chin.

"Not long to go" she said softly. "Then you'll be back to your normal self" she placed her hand to his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze, her smile rewarding him for his bravery.

"Get…me…off" he gurgled, arms wrapping around his stomach as he knelt over. "Gonna…die"

"We're almost there Natsu" she looked over the barrier at the distance of them and the land, her smile widening. "I can see land now"

"You…can?" his voice wobbled, eyes now looking up as she nodded. "Ugh…Happy!" he released his arm from his stomach and held it up in the air, as if demanding that his feline friend support him up. "Get us…to land" he heaved, watching as Happy came flying from the steps.

"Yeah Natsu?" he asked cheerfully.

"Fly…me, to land!" he croaked once more. "Pleaaaase!" realising his request, Happy gripped his hand and lifted him up.

"Aye, aye!"

"Wait! Happy!" Lucy called. She jumped up from her spot, eyes pleading as Happy carried Natsu up into the air. "You're just going to leave now?!" she panicked.

"Um…yeah?" Happy responded innocently.

"But what about me? What about the team?" she wondered, dramatically looking between them and the rest of the team across the ship deck.

"I can carry you both? I am stronger now!" the feline chirped as he flexed his wings. "But we need to go now!" he urged.

Lucy gritted her teeth, looking over at the others sat playing with a deck of cards, then back to the weak dragon slayer. It was a touch decision to make, to go with Happy and Natsu, but risk being away from Gray…but she really wanted to go. Or at least find out what was wrong with Natsu earlier. "Lusssshy, hurry up!" the cat whined.

Flustered, Lucy tied her hair into a ponytail and jumped, gripping hold of Natsu as tightly as she could.

"Just go!" she demanded.

"Aye!"

She held on with dear life to Natsu's side as she looked down at the water below her. The shaky waves that riddled under them as they flew across the ocean to reach the land. She could see it in the distance, the large docking port that belonged to the floating city of Era. Their ticket to Giltena. And one step closer to the 100 year quest beginning.

"Just a bit further Happy, we're almost there!" Lucy called out, eyes wide as she made out the large luxurious ships in their view. She had been on these types of ships before, built for expense and used for tourists and business owners. Her father had made her travel on them before, and the very sight of them made her think of him and the life she had.

"Um…Lusshy…." The uncertainty in the cat's voice quickly made Lucy look up with worry. "I…think…I'm out of power" he gulped, clutching onto Natsu's arm to keep him up.

"What? What you mean…" she gulped, suddenly looking up at the exceed's terrified eyes as his wings deactivated. And suddenly the rush of their fall caught her by surprise, along with the shock of cold water that hit her body as she came crashing into the ocean.

The impact of the waves made her release her grip on Natsu, and while her eyes frantically searched for him and Happy, all she could really see was the how dark the sea really was this far out in from the island. She kicked her legs up, her arms brushing round in circles to pull herself up to the surface. She coughed out the water that was sitting in her throat and looked around, blinking as she located Happy floating near her.

"Happy! Where's Natsu?" she swam up to him, still searching for any signs of the dragon slayer. "Has he not come up yet?" she panicked, looking under her to see if there were any dark shadows that could resemble him.

"I…don't know. Lushy! I hate water!" the cat quickly flapped his paws in the water, freaking out by the liquid soaking his fur coat. "Help!"

"Come here" she scooped him up towards her, and clutched him against her chest, while she kept herself afloat. "I'm worried, I can't see Natsu!"

She turned to her side, feeling a sudden movement brisk against her leg, which quickly followed into a typhoon of water. It sprang up from the surface, with arms flapping and a loud splutter of coughs- she soon calmed down.

"Natsu!"

"What the hell Happy?!" the wizard groaned, spitting the salty water from his mouth. "Why'd you drop me?!" he span his head, looking over to the whimpering cat snuggled against his blonde partner.

"Sorry Natsu! I ran out of magic energy" his ears lowered sadly. Natsu kicked his legs, hovering in the water before taking a good look round him.

"Oh, well good thing we ain't far!" he nudged his head in the direction of the docks and grinned. "Come on, I'll race ya!" with determination in his voice, he flexed his arms ready to swim across to the land ahead. But before he could accelerate, he felt a tug on his scarf. Swiftly, he turned his head to see Lucy attached to the other end of his clothing.

"We still need to talk, you know" she told him sternly.

"We do?" he frowned, watching as she released his scarf by a flick of her wrist. The scarf flapped against the surface of water, lightly splashing the side of his face. With the playful tease, he smirked.

"Jerk" she insulted lightly, rolling her eyes at the mischievous dragon slayer. She gripped Happy tightly to her neck, kicking her legs under the water as she began to swim pass him, in the direction of land ahead of them. She quickly picked up the pace, intrigued to see if their fiery partner was following them, or better yet, catching up.

It didn't take as long as she thought, with the frantic kicking of her legs and her constant paddling of her arms she was able to reach the bottom of the ocean, as she did, she felt the relief of her feet now embedded into the sunken sand as she stood up and dragged her body through the waves to reach the beach on the other side. She smiled, her arms now seizing Happy from around her neck so he could rest against her chest.

"We did it, we win…" she twisted her head behind her, eyes searching for Natsu. "Natsu…we won" her triumph fell short when she noticed the pink haired wizard was no where in sight. Her now curved smile dropped. "Natsu?" concern in her voice, she stepped back towards the deep water. "Natsu?"

"Lucy! Happy! You're going the wrong way!"

She curled round once more, frowning as she saw her soaking wet partner on the beach waving back at them with a fanged grin. How did he…

"Natsu!" Happy cheered proudly. "How'd you get there so fast?" the cat questioned.

"I swam?" He watched as Lucy forced herself through the water to reach him, cursing under her breath at the defeat of beating him. "No need to be such a sore loser Luce, I'm just faster that's all" he shrugged as she arrived in front of him. Her arm extended, placing it on his shoulder to pull her out from the watery suction of the sand beneath her.

She lifted her foot up, groaning by the pressure before fumbling forward, and crashing into him. This instantly knocked him over into the dry white sand, with her using him as her landing pad. She squealed at the fall, following with Happy's squeak as he was crushed between both his teammates.

"Jeez Luce! You're so clumsy!" Natsu sniggered, feeling her weight lift from him instantly. And in a panic, she squealed once more, now looking down at her now bare foot.

"My shoe!" she cried out, now watching her shoe that had gotten stuck in the sand, wash away with the waves. "Natsu! My shoe!" she dropped to her knees, watching her single shoe get further and further away from them.

"You have another one…" Happy pointed out, addressing the other shoe on her foot.

"I think you miss the concept of a 'pair' of shoes Happy" she grumbled. "What am I going to do now…" she sighed, staring down at her bare foot coated in a layer of sand.

"Um…you could go bare foot?" Natsu suggested, not understanding the issue.

"Absolutely not" she scoffed.

"Why don't you ask Virgo for some shoes?" Happy wondered, shrugging his little shoulders. "She's done it before right?"

Lucy frowned, her hand now touching the side of her hip where her keys held firmly attached. As much as she agreed with Happy that Virgo could help her with the issue at foot. There was a potential risk with such a thing. She didn't want to use magic, not right now…

One thing she had found out during the year with the curse was that it was unpredictable, especially when she displayed magic energy. Using her keys, in particular. And it was something she didn't want to risk at the point in time, and knowing that Gray was still on the boat in the distance was also unnerving.

"You know what…it's fine" she shrugged it off slowly, revealing a reassuring smile. She could tell by the frowns on their faces, that both Natsu and Happy were surprised by her change of situation. She took one last look at her floating shoe in the distance and stood up confidently, brushing off the sand from her creamy skin. Internally she was crumbling shamefully, but on the outside she remained bubbly and unfazed. "Come on then, let's go…" she span round, waving them ahead of her.

"But…your shoe?" Happy murmured softly.

"It's fine, I can get some sandals at the port or something" she said. "Let's go…"

"You're going to walk with one bare foot to the port?" Natsu frowned harder, watching as she limped across the sandy beach. They followed behind her, watching with fascination as she eventually stopped, pulling off her other shoe and shoving it under her arm so she could walk normally.

"It's not far" she stated.

"Wouldn't you normally be complaining?"

"Shh Natsu…" Happy muttered under his breath. "You'll get her mad at us!"

Despite Happy's attempt in whispering, Lucy could still hear them. Not that she did anything about it, she continued to stomp through the dry warm sand till reaching the steps that lead them up to the port. Hot metal steps to be precise. She stared for a moment, before placing her toes onto the metal plate. She yelped, pulling her foot back in panic. Yes, it was hot.

She sneaked backwards, now regretting her decision of calling forth Virgo to retrieve some clothes. Perhaps a curse episode wouldn't be as bad as scorching the bottom of her feet.

"Get on" seeing her internal struggle with her thoughts, Natsu knelt down in front of her with his arms lightly pushed out to hold her up. "Luce" he called out, catching her attention.

"What?"

"Get on my back" he instructed, keeping his posture straight. "It will be quicker"

"Natsu, I can't…"

"Yes you can, jump on…"

"But-"

"Luce, if you don't get on, I'll carry you in my arms instead" he grunted, loosing patience. She blushed by his comment, a faint pink dust coating her cheeks as she climbed onto his back. Instantly feeling his heat press against her, and even more so when she felt his warm coarse hands cup her thighs to keep her attached to him. He rose up, lifting her up behind him. "Let's go, Happy!" he called out for the blue cat who crawled behind him.

"Aye Natsu"

OXOXO

She had to admit, the number of stares she had received as Natsu piggybacked her around the port was rather embarrassing. Every now and then she felt her face lower into his shoulder, burying her head in shame just to avoid the humiliation further. Yet every time she did so, she could feel Natsu hitch his breath as she brushed her nose against his skin. She wondered why, perhaps it was unexpected- yes that was it. His hands would squeeze her thighs tighter, and a shift of his hips kept her rubbed against his back, just to keep her in place.

Happy had trailed beside him, keeping close to the duo as they shuffled through the crowd of people. It's what Lucy had expected, the port of Era was extremely popular, and it was also the most direct route to get across the continents. It was mainly used by the Magic Council, as well as wealthy businessmen and traders who sailed back and forth to trade supplies. Lucy had remembered it well; her father had taken her on a few trips before- much to her dismay. After her mother's death, she was dragged around by his servants, following his orders while they sailed in large luxury ships.

How she hated it.

"What about that shop there?" Happy pointed across to a small shop lined to the side of the path. It was a quirky looking shack, with purple painted windows and a strange crooked wooden door. It looked like it rarely received any customers, but the reason why it had attracted Happy's attention was the strangely familiar maid outfit that hung up in the shop window.

"Is that a clothes shop?" Natsu wondered, blinking at the same outfit in the window. "Think it would have some shoes in there?" he asked, peering up at Lucy who rested on his shoulder.

"It doesn't look like a normal clothes shop…" she muttered.

"We could pop in?" he suggested. "Wouldn't hurt right?"

She sighed against him, shrugging. He took this as a good sign to investigate. They charged towards it, avoiding bumping into the crowd of people around them. As soon as they reached the door, it opened suddenly, startling the trio and causing them to step back with alarm.

"My, I wondered how long it would take for you to get here" an annoyed, croaky voice startled them, revealing an old lady dressed in a woven tunic with a multicoloured scarf wrapped around her neck. Her long grey hair was tied up into a messy bun and while she smiled warmly, she gave off an icy vibe that deemed dangerous. In her hand was a long candle that appeared like it had been burning for a while. "Come, I have your shoes" she turned her back to them, walking deep into her dark shop.

"Um…" Happy gulped, looking up at his two teammates for assurance.

"Wow, how'd you know we needed shoes?!" Natsu exclaimed excitedly as he stepped further in. He was amazed by the older lady, following her deeper inside the shop before glancing around at the strange layout. There was storage boxes everywhere, along with candles and strange looking orbs that glowed in the dark. He felt Lucy clutch her arms around his chest, her heart accelerating.

"Natsu…" she whispered against his ear. "I have a bad feeling about this place" she gulped hard as the old lady stopped in her tracks, as if she had heard Lucy's quiet concern. She turned her back, her smile displaying warmth.

"Don't be afraid Lucy, I have your shoes right here" she knelt down to a particular storage box, pulling out shoes that Lucy instantly recognised. They were her white sneakers, ones that she assumed were tucked safely at home in her wardrobe. How did they get here?

The old lady hovered them in front of Natsu and Lucy, revealing a smirk.

"I've been expecting you two" she blinked, as Lucy slowly reached out to collect the shoes from her grasp. "No need to be scared, I'm not a monster" she let out a soft croaky giggle as Lucy slipped down from Natsu's back to place the shoes on her bare feet.

"How do you know Lucy?" Natsu questioned, straightening his back.

"Oh, I know you too Natsu" the lady nodded briefly. "And you Happy" she waved to the blue cat beside them, who freakishly jumped behind Lucy for protection.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think we've met" Lucy said confidently. "I think I would have remembered-"

"You haven't met me yet, or…you weren't supposed to meet me yet…" the lady shook her head as if conflicted with her own thoughts. "I have met you before, though…you haven't met me…" she said. "But funny how fate works"

"Fate? Whut?" Natsu blinked with confusion, now turning to Lucy who rose up from tying her shoes.

"How can you have met us before, but we not met you? That makes so sense" the blonde stated, now crossing her arms over her chest.

"Um, your right!" the lady exclaimed proudly. "It doesn't, but it does" she pointed across to her window and smiled once more. "You only chose to come here because you noticed this…am I right?"

Happy looked over at the maid outfit displayed in the window, he nodded.

"That is a memory of yours, your first mission together" the old lady said confidently. "I know, I saw it"

"And how do you have it? Did you steal that from our place?" Natsu stepped forward but was stopped as Lucy's hand gripped his shoulder. She tilted her head slowly.

"And I take it…that maid outfit is still at Natsu and Happy's?" Lucy wondered, confirming her hypothesis. This made the old lady clap her wrinkled hands together.

"Oh it seems you was bright even at young, Lucy!" the lady said grinning. "You caught on" she clapped once more as Lucy looked around at the room they were in. It began to make sense. While Natsu and Happy stood in complete silence, not understanding what was happening. "I knew you would come"

"I'm confused, who are you?" Natsu grumbled.

"She's an Oracle Natsu" Lucy admitted, looking at the lady for confirmation. "That's what she meant by she saw it, she sees the past, present and future events"

"I am" the lady confirmed. "My name is Cecila, and I have met you both before. In the future that is"

"The future? How far in the future? Can you tell us?" Lucy stepped closer to the lady, with a sort of resolve in her eyes. "Are we talking months? Years? Was it both of us you met?" the instant questions caused Natsu to rest his own hand on his partner's shoulder, holding her back from scaring the old lady.

"Too many questions there Luce"

"But I need to know" Lucy grumbled. "Cecila, can you tell us?"

The lady frowned worryingly, her eyes snapping between both Natsu and Lucy with a concern. She chose not to answer any of Lucy's questions, instead she stepped back, rubbing her cheek with fault.

"I see…" she whispered lowly. "That is why this timeline is corrupt"

"Corrupt?" Lucy's eyes widened. "What does that mean?!" panic rushed through her face, leaping towards the old lady once more. "How can it be corrupt?"

Cecila placed her hand up in order to stop Lucy's frantic questions, before turning to the small cat and the dragon slayer. She revealed her reassuring smile once more before looking to the door.

"Would you mind leaving me and Lucy alone for a moment?" she directed them towards the door, although Natsu seemed a little unsure of leaving, until he was given a slight nod from Lucy as encouragement. "It will only be a moment" Cecila muttered.

She waited as the two boys slowly left through the door, shutting it behind them before turning round to face a concerned Lucy.

"For one, if you are planning on keeping it a secret, you're not doing very well in hiding it" the lady tutted, shaking her head disapprovingly. "And two, I didn't even need to look into your future to understand what's happening here. The bond between you even now is burning, it's almost suffocating" she scoffed for a second, her innocence of an elderly lady melting away.

"What?"

"You heard me. You don't know me Lucy, but in the future you and I are very good friends" she stated blankly. "We haven't officially met yet, but in this timeline, I suppose it's different, isn't it?" she blinked, moving over to the wall to collect a glowing orb sat on a storage box. "You came early. I wasn't expecting you and Natsu for another 3 years" she whispered.

"3 years? Does that mean…I survive this?" Lucy asked.

"Survive? Oh…" Cecila places the orb in front of Lucy and reveals what she could see. But as Lucy looks into the orb, she frowns.

"There's nothing there" Lucy pointed out.

"Exactly. It's what I meant by the timeline here is corrupted. I am unable to see your future, which means…dark magic is displayed here"

"You could say that" Lucy rolled her eyes. "So does this mean… the curse takes over?"

"I'm not allowed to answer that"

"Not allowed or just won't?" Lucy raised her brow. "You said we don't meet you for another 3 years, so why now?"

"I'm unsure how the universe works, just that it does. There are many timelines, and paradoxes, which I know you have seen before" she placed the orb back down on the box and scratched her messy grey bun. "The curse you have, when your friend Gray used his devil slaying magic on you last year when you wrote the book, that should have dispelled the curse…"

"Should have?"

"Yes" the lady nodded. "But in this case, it seems…it hadn't" she wiped her hands against her tatted dress, while looking down to avoid Lucy's concerned frown. "I don't know why it didn't work. From what I can see, the timelines have all been followed the same way" her fingers twiddled together. "You separated Natsu's soul from his brother, didn't you?"

"I did" Lucy confirmed softly.

"Then the ice boy used his magic, correct?" Again, Lucy nodded her head. "And that should have been it, the curse should have dispelled, you shouldn't be possessing any dark matter right now" Cecila lifted her head, eyes looking into Lucy's with sorrow. "You are bound to him, but in this timeline…in this universe, the great master denies what you have done, and changed it"

"But why?!" Lucy growled. "Why just this timeline?"

The oracle shook her head slowly, with no answer to give. It seemed she was just as perplexed as the blonde female in front of her.

"I saved Natsu, but no one can save me, right?" Lucy questioned darkly. "I die…don't I?"

"I am unable to say, like I showed you, your future is blank…unwritten as it were, the great master hasn't given you an ending"

"Who is this great master?" Lucy questioned once more, almost seething through her teeth. "I'll give him a piece of my mind"

"You won't be able to find them" the oracle whispered. "They only exist through words, not through physical form" she stated. "I'm sorry Lucy, but I am unable to help you further with this" she bowed her head, regret in her voice. "I'm sorry"

"But…"

"I'm sorry…" Cecila turned her back to the wizard, her hands failing over the orbs that were scattered over the boxes. Not much more was said, and Lucy could feel that her time for questioning was up and presence was no longer required. With this, she sighed heavily.

Fumbling towards the door, she opened it fully to greet her two comrades staring happily back at her.

"You look like you've eaten a bad fish Lushy" Happy commented, his smile curling at her presence. "What took you so long? We've been waiting for ages…"

Lucy gritted her teeth, shutting the door behind her before stepping over to the path where they were stood. She was quiet, mainly because her thoughts were swarmed with her fate, the unknown and the blank orb containing her future. Was this really it for her? Was she really going to end?

"Luce, you alright?" Natsu playfully poked her side, distracting her from the dark inner questions lingering in her mind. Her brown eyes scanned up dangerously to his, allowing her to take a moment to catch the small powerful flame embedded in his dark eyes, almost looking like smouldering charcoal. She hesitated, breathing in before nodding nervously. Her hand slapped the area where he had poked, feeling a warmth from where his finger had pushed in the skin. "Luce?" he asked again, his brows knotting.

"I'm fine" she muttered. "Come on, let's see if the others are at port yet" she waved them off, strolling in the direction of the ship's port. Natsu turned to his feline companion, his frown still lingering. He wasn't convinced by her, not in the slightest. But still he stalked behind her, with Happy now resting on his shoulder.

"Natsu, I was thinking…" the cat chirped.

"What's that little buddy?"

"How did that lady get the maid outfit from our house?" he asked. "I mean…" he scrunched his nose in deep thought, wondering how the old lady was able to steal such an item that had been hidden away in a small shack in a forest. "I'm so confused" he scratched his head with his paw, while his lip pouted across to Lucy who was walking a distance in front of them.

"Meh, best not to think about it" Natsu told him. "That's what works for me!" this made the blue feline smirk, nodding his head to accept the answer gracefully.

"Your right! Let's not think about it!"

XOXO

Gray stumbled off the ship onto the large metal jetty platform. By now, he had discarded his white jacket, his dark hair messily pushed back as he attempted to cool off some pent-up rage surging through him. Since watching Lucy cling to Natsu and fly off with Happy from the ship they were travelling on, Gray had been powering through fury and concern.

He had cursed his under his breath, questioning how she could have been so careless to leave him while she was so clearly in a vulnerable state. At any point, the curse could trigger and at any point, he would be needed to prevent his friend from turning into some cursed corpse.

So when he reached the streets leading up to the floating city of Era, his eyes practically burned- especially when he saw the familiar trio walk up to greet him. Without even thinking, his hand latched onto Lucy's, and with a quick tug he pulled her away from the duo beside her, visibly demanding that they needed to have a moment alone.

Well, as you can imagine, the dragon slayer who watched the display out in front of him, did not exactly take the action lightly, specifically to the noise Lucy made to show her discomfort when her arm was grasped. He lunged out, his own hand snapping tightly to Gray's and almost burning for him to release his own grip on his partner.

"Let her go" his voice was deep, settling on a tone of dark and threatening which made Gray quickly drop his guard, freeing Lucy from his clutch and allowing his hand to rest to his side.

"This doesn't concern you, pyro" the ice wizard groaned, tackling the stare of the dragon slayer.

"You hurt Lucy" Natsu growled. "When you grabbed her" his eyes shifted to the blonde female beside him, who in return coward under his gaze. She lightly hid her arm behind her, revealing a soft innocent smile.

"I'm fine, guys…let's just calm down a moment, it's fine" she tried to reassure them both, but with Gray already angry from her disappearance earlier and Natsu's protective side suddenly kicking in, she soon realised it wasn't going to end well, and her being in the centre, could only cause more tension.

She stepped back, luckily just in time as Gray launched the first icy blow towards his teammate. Her eyes widened frantically while Happy embedded himself into her chest for cover.

"Gray!" Lucy screamed. "What was that for?!" she gawked across to Natsu, watching flames suddenly erupt around him. "Natsu…let's cool off, there's no need to…" she blinked, feeling the heat across her face as he stormed past her, planting a mighty clout in Gray's direction. "GUYS!"

Before she knew it, both wizards were on the attack, rolling across the ground. She rubbed her temples, mainly in frustration as she watched them fight in public, with people walking by and silently judging them and their foolishness. It was embarrassing, more so for Lucy who was now hiding her face in shame as people muttered comments beside her.

"Guys…" she mumbled through seethed teeth. "Can you stop now?"

"NATSU, GRAY…what do you think you're doing?!" Lucy jumped by the sound of the redhead's bellow and was thankful for it. Erza had appeared from behind them, pulling along her cart with Wendy and Carla nearby. "Pack it in this instance!" she stomped her foot, sending a earthquake like wave to the area where they were. They both looked up sharply, questioning the vibration under them before looking over to an extremely aggravated Erza, with her eyes piercing into them like daggers. "Get…off…the…floor…NOW" she gritted her teeth, watching as they scurried from the floor sheepishly. "What is the meaning of this…and Lucy…" she shifted her head to the nervous blonde. "Why did you not stop them?"

"Me? Like I could do anything about it" Lucy commented sarcastically.

"Nevertheless, we've arrived" Erza announced proudly. "And as this is the home of the Magic Council, I expect you both…to be on your best behaviour" she warned, turning back to the two males of their team. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Erza" they said in union.

"Excellent, then, shall we?" she strolled ahead, smiling sweetly as she pulled her large cart behind her. "I'm thinking a bite to eat, then a bit of sightseeing, don't you agree Wendy?" the redhead suggested. Wendy quickly nodded with agreement; her voice silent as she followed the older female sheepishly behind her.

"Idiot" Natsu scoffed, turning away from the icy wizard.

"Dick" Gray chanted back. His eyes shone across to Lucy and with a deep sigh, he shook his head. "And don't let me get started on you…" he whispered shallowingly. Lucy lowered her head, feeling Happy escape from his hiding place to join Natsu who had now walked off without them. "Honestly, what is wrong with you" he grunted. "Do you enjoy living on the edge?"

"No, but apparently you do" Lucy grumbled back at him. "Why did you punch Natsu in the first place?"

"Because the matchstick was sticking his nose in" Gray chanted. "Though, I am still angry with you Lucy" he looked to her, brows furrowed. "You clearly didn't think when you flew off the ship, what if you had another episode?" he wondered frustratingly.

"I didn't though, did I?" she reported back. "Besides, I met an oracle"

"An oracle?" Gray frowned. "That some sort of voodoo magic?" he frowned harder as Lucy shook her head.

"A fortune teller, someone with the gift of past, present and future" she explained. "She told me of my future" hearing this, Gray smiled.

"So we have nothing to worry about, she saw your future" he stated.

"Not exactly…"

He stopped in his tracks, his arm now wiped out in front of her to prevent her from walking ahead. "What's that mean?"

"Well…she didn't see my future…or that, my future doesn't exist right now" she bit her lip, watching Gray's eyes sulk to the ground. He tensed, his hands turning to fists.

"You…don't have a future?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"No, not that she could see in the orb"

"Lucy…" he trailed his voice softly. "That's not a good sign"

"Yeah, well I came to terms with that anyway" the blonde whispered. "I know I won't survive this, I just wanted to see if there was a chance that I did" she shrugged her shoulders, pulling his arm down to allow her to walk on ahead. "It's fine Gray. I know my fate"

He shook his head faintly, a guilt of pain rising in his chest as he watched her walk away from him. She was smiling as she caught up with the rest of the team, her brown eyes shimmering as she joined in to the conversation they were having. She was a good actress, Gray admitted as he studied her. How she could stand there and act normal when knowing full well this was her last mission with them together. And with him the only one knowing the true outcome of her journey's end. He gritted his teeth.

It would not end well for either of them, not at this rate.