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October 13th, X778

The sun god, who'd never asked his fellow gods for anything, whispered his plea as the sun broke free of the darkness, washing them in a gentle golden glow that seemed muted despite the early hour: "Watch over her for me? Until Jellal can?" The fallen god had left earlier in the evening, not wanting to tread on the sun god's grief. Death had left with him.

The sun god was far too busy pushing away golden, burning tears that continued to streak down his cheeks to notice the wary, alarmed look that had resided on his fellow god's face from the moment he'd returned and realized what was happening. Regardless, the one meant to ferry the soul they spoke of nodded. "Of course."

He wouldn't say a word in front of the pair beside him. He couldn't. They were hurting enough.

The sun god studied the gravesite he'd carved into a mountainside with his own bare hands, now stained with half-dried golden ichor, for a moment longer. He then turned away. The hum that had started during the night didn't end as he beckoned for his half-spirit companion to come along. She stopped only to put something atop the grave before hurrying to catch up with him. She called quietly for their cats to follow.

He didn't go with them, nor did the sun god ask him to.

When they were gone, he crouched before the grave and snagged the paper the half-spirit girl had placed atop it. She'd drawn a bouquet of flowers in lieu of the real thing since she couldn't find any in her frozen world. She'd done her best, though the lines were shaky and they looked nothing like the real thing. She'd written a small message there, too: We won't forget you. We love you, Lucy. Love, Wendy. He was, admittedly, surprised when he had to blink back the burn of tears, confused as to why that little note upset him so much.

He felt her appear beside him before he saw anything. "We have a problem," he said without looking up, encasing the note in ice to protect it from the elements. He placed it back atop the grave.

Death hummed. "I thought as much. It felt as if her soul was ripped from her the moment I touched her. It was unlike anything I've ever felt. It wasn't Mavis, either. I know when a soul goes to Mavis."

He glanced up then. Death met his gaze grimly as he said, "We can't tell Natsu. He'll rip himself apart trying to find her."

Death winced. "I don't like it, but I agree." She tipped her head, thoughtful. "You'll look into it, I presume." He nodded. Of course he would. He'd been here to specifically prevent something like this from happening, and he'd failed miserably. It wasn't like this was just any soul either. "It's not like the others?"

He shook his head. "She's not one of the lost souls that run from me. They linger like they should, even if they're stuck in pain. Hers…it's like it just slipped away while we weren't looking."

Death considered their options and then gave up for the time being. She spun away, a tug in her gut telling her she was needed elsewhere. Over her shoulder, she told him, "I'll ensure Jellal knows. If you find anything, inform us immediately."

He lifted a hand in acknowledgement as he rose to his feet, still watching the gravesite. When Death had gone, he let out a soft breath and ran a hand through his dark hair, sprinkling ice shards into the brisk, chilly morning air. "You just can't make anything easy, can you, Lucy?"

Have a surprise gift as a thank you for all the reviews and as an anniversary gift, as SF hit one year!

I've never laughed so hard at the responses people have put in. Also, I'm so happy that people liked how it was written. Thank you all so much. Also, thank you for the well-wishes for my surgery!

Here's to hoping our usual Sunday update happens!

Thanks to reviewers (IamTeddy, Kayesfaye, Ileana151, BurstingDragons, ShanpaiUniverse, Larissa, hopelesskar, fjsmothie, xennia-x, marn-marn, takeagamble27, Rachel Maddison, Jellal Fernandes, dooryy, InWonderl4nd, Guest #1, KaguyaTheSabrer, Lyra121, 123kjfb, Slayer Queen Dragneel, 3825Doll, goldenravish, InfiniteMiste, Random reader, and Guest #2!) as well as those who favorited and followed!