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March 16th, X779

Lucy could have cut the tension in the air with a dull butter knife.

She kept quiet as she inventoried their belongings, fully aware that Wendy had gone through them at some point. She couldn't help it. She just had to do it herself, to make sure everything was in its proper place. Wendy had done a good job, but it wasn't the same. They'd be leaving soon, after all, and the last thing they needed was t o have to come back to this horrible place for something they'd left behind.

She could hear little footsteps upstairs, trailing along as Asuka followed Wendy, who was making sure they'd grabbed everything. Asuka seemed relatively content with the world despite the loss of her mother. Lucy might have thought she didn't understand what had happened had she not overheard Asuka telling Wendy, "Miss Erza promised that Jellal would make sure Mama was okay."

Alzack wasn't faring nearly as well as his daughter, and Lucy's heart ached for the guy. He'd reluctantly allowed Natsu and Virgo to help him bury his wife; it was where they were at that very moment. Lucy hoped he found some comfort in knowing that Bisca wouldn't become a Vhalis, stalking their every move as they continued to suffer from their death blows.

Happy, who'd been keeping Lucy company, suddenly chirped a greeting. Lucy glanced back, expecting her favorite sun god. As if knowing that, Erza's dark eyes gleamed with gentle humor as she stepped aside to avoid Happy when he tried to brush against her ankles in a friendly way. "Hello, Lucy."

For just a moment, Lucy recalled another instance in which Erza had greeted her like that. She recalled sweltering, feverish heat, Wendy's tearful face, whispered promises of the stars–

Lucy shook them off. "Hello," she said warily, shivering as a chill went down her spine.

Erza's lips quirked. Rather than saying anything about Lucy's obvious unease, she instead mused, "It's troubled us for quite some time, you know – that we were unable to guide your soul to rest in Hel. At any other time, I'd have been insulted. No god has any right to disrupt my work." Something sharp and ancient shone in her gaze, and it was the first time Lucy was honestly scared of Death. But then it was gone, and it was simply Erza before her again. Erza folded her arms. "But these aren't typical times, and despite Natsu's beliefs, we have no desire to see him suffer as he did. His grief was…" She made a small wave with her hand.

Unsure of what to say and not wanting to think too hard on Natsu's grief, Lucy turned back to her things and said, "Natsu told you to stay away from me, didn't he?"

Erza's soft laughter reminded Lucy of bells. "I'm sure he'll come to investigate as soon as he figures out where I am. I'll be quick. Jellal spoke with Natsu, but it's doubtful he will keep you informed, so I will tell you what Jellal told Natsu. Hel is close to a Fall of its own, and we are running out of time before the world's ruin becomes a permanent fixture. We either need to stabilize Hel or find Mavis. Regardless of Natsu's desires, there are no other options to be considered."

In other words, they'd tried to tell Natsu, and he'd not wanted to help if it meant putting his friends in danger. The thought stabbed Lucy with a knife crafted from guilt. It was, in part, her fault that he was so against it all. Not that she didn't understand where he was coming from; Lucy would have loved to curl up safe in bed and never leave. Still, this was a different Natsu from the one who'd been so fascinated by the world around him. She loved him regardless.

Exhaling softly, Lucy told Erza, "I don't know if the others can do what they did to me, Erza. I don't remember anything about it. I'm not sure about the details."

"Which leaves us with one option."

Find Mavis.

It was the same damn thing they came back to everytime they turned around.

Erza shifted away when Happy tried to brush against her again, purring. "No, Happy," she warned, mostly for his sake. She focused on the matter at hand. "The girl…I believe there might be something worth investigating in regards to her scars."

"Asuka?" Lucy blinked. "She mentioned something similar to what I went through. We've talked about it. We think there might be a connection to the one who…the one who did it to me." She stumbled over those words, hating the fear and panic that instinctively accompanied thoughts of Erigor and the knife he'd used to carve into her arms–

Erza's eyes flashed. "The one who held Levy's diale prisoner? You mean they are separate people?"

"That's what we think," said Lucy, shrugging. "Natsu–" She was interrupted when the door was thrown open and Natsu himself appeared, looking particularly cranky as he hummed and scowled bitterly at Erza. The light in his eyes was dimmer than before, but glowed furiously as he glared at her. "I told you–"

"Your discomfort with my presence is the least of my concerns," retorted Erza, not taking her gaze off Lucy. "You're sure? That there is a second person involved?"

Lucy glanced at Natsu, hoping he might offer some further explanation, but he was fuming over the fact that Erza was there at all. "Erigor – the one who hurt me, I mean – wasn't the first one. Levy apparently said someone else took her diale, right, Natsu?" He'd been the one to talk to Levy about it, after all.

Natsu grumbled. "Yeah. She said some person won it off her a long time ago, and that Erigor stole her diale from him."

Erza's face went ashen in a way that made Lucy incredibly nervous. Death should not have been afraid. Not like that. And without a single explanation, she vanished into thin air, leaving Lucy to throw her hands in the air with a huff. "What the hell?" she grumbled.

Natsu kicked the door shut behind him and asked as if her disappearance wasn't completely suspicious, "Your leg okay?"

Doubting she'd get him back onto a more important topic, Lucy turned her attention on him as he sat beside her. "It's healing," she sighed. He drew her leg to him, fingers brushing over the wounds that had resided there. She shivered. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I should be good to go by this afternoon."

Even if she continued to dislike her status as a non-human, it had its perks.

Natsu let out a loud breath, and ash flew with it. Lucy winced when his gaze suddenly snapped to hers, sharp and irritable, and Lucy bit back a curse. At long last, the dam was about to break. Sure enough, his voice was thick with anger as he said, "I told you–"

Lucy cut him off, lifting her chin. "A little girl was in trouble, Natsu. Look, I'd be the first one to get myself to safety before anyone else, but not when there's a little girl involved. Especially not one who's now lost her mother." She glared at him, daring him to argue with that particular point.

Natsu's gaze burned into hers. "You could have been killed." That ash flew with each word. She thought there were some singed strands of hair now dancing about his face. His voice was hoarse and thick, and a cough left him despite his best efforts. His fingers curled around her ankle, grip tight as if he feared she'd vanish there and then. "Because we decided to try helping someone, you could have died. And I don't – Luce, what happened, that wasn't normal. I'm immortal because Mavis made me what I am, but we don't know if you are."

His voice cracked, anger giving way to fear and lingering grief that he couldn't seem to shake away from before they'd found their way back together. Ash flecked her skin, burning, but she hardly noticed past the sheer panic on his face.

This was much, much worse than anger. She'd have much rather he simply yelled at her.

Aware that he was upset with her, Lucy reached out to gently tuck some of that singed pink hair from his forehead. Soot stuck to her fingertips, and she shifted her touch to brushing her knuckles over his cheek. "I'm sorry," she said sincerely. He scowled half-heartedly, as if he didn't believe her. "I am," she grumbled. "You told me what happened to you when you became a god, and this couldn't have been too far off. Just…without the volcano bit."

Lucy didn't have to ask to know he'd been buried, too, and she knew that past losing the ones he cared about, that was his biggest fear.

He'd endured both fears, at the same time.

"I should have been more careful," admitted Lucy, and she really ought to have. She shouldn't have done what she'd done. Asuka had been safe, albeit alone. "And I probably should have listened to you–"

"Probably?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Fine. Not probably. I should have listened to you. Next time–"

"Lucy, if there's a next time," he told her, entirely serious, "I don't care who I have to fight, we're going to Igneel's temple and never leaving again."

Lucy couldn't tell if he was serious about that threat or not. "No next time," she decided, and he grunted in agreement.

It seemed to make him feel better, for he relaxed, fingers simply dancing over her skin. Lucy smiled softly at him, relieved that she'd been forgiven and making a note that she really did need to be careful not to do something like that again. "You ought to go clean up before we get moving," she told him. "You're all grimey."

He ignored her in favor of hooking an arm around her shoulders and hauling her against him. He pressed his face into her shoulder, and Lucy leaned into him, stroking her fingers through that soot-stained hair. "Don't do that again," he rasped in her ear, and the guilt returned, weighing heavily in her chest. "Please, Lucy. I can't lose you again."

She brushed her lips over his temple, even as she blinked back a few tears. "I won't," she replied quietly. "Promise."

Jellal was still there. Lucy thought it particularly interesting. He hung back with Virgo, speaking urgently to her as Wendy ensured Alzack had as much as they could spare for he and Asuka, seeing as they'd lost almost everything in the collapsed home. He was clearly grieving, but he'd come back to himself a little. Lucy was sure it was mostly for Asuka's sake.

Lucy was sure she ought to have been more interested in what was going to happen with the two that were in the process of leaving for somewhere new, but she couldn't help but remain focused on Jellal. Why was he still there if Erza was gone? Gray had left, too, but that was likely related to escorting Bisca's soul to wherever it would go – doing what he'd been unable to do for Lucy.

Something about the fact that Death's Favored was sticking around made Lucy nervous, and she hugged Happy tighter. He was content with it, purring loudly.

"Miss Lucy?"

Lucy blinked, startled. She'd not noticed Asuka approaching her, still hugging the stuffed cat Wendy had given her with Lucy's approval. Asuka searched Lucy's eyes, and then reached out, tugging gently on her arm. Lucy handed Happy over to Natsu before stooping to hug Asuka. Asuka wrapped her arms tightly around Lucy's neck and whispered in a small voice, "Thank you for helping me, Miss Lucy."

Lucy hugged her back. "You stay safe, Asuka. Okay?"

Asuka hummed her agreement before stepping back. Her face turned towards Natsu as he dropped into a crouch, so that he was at her level. He let Happy down as he did so. Lucy didn't miss the way that Alzack watched them like a hawk, suspicious – even more so when Natsu suddenly sported a wicked grin. "Natsu–"

He ignored Lucy's warning and reached out, gently tapping Asuka between the eyes. She gasped, clasping a hand over the spot, and Natsu's grin widened. "When Lucy got hurt," he said quietly, and even as he spoke, something shifted in the air. The hair on the back of Lucy's neck seemed to stand on end, and her breath caught at the strange feeling. "I promised that no one would ever hurt her like that again. I can't keep you safe from disease, or famine, or even other humans, Asuka, but I can promise that the gods won't ever hurt you." His gaze shifted, sliding to meet Alzack's. He held it, eyes glowing with what power he had left. "The gods do not interfere with the Favored of other gods."

Lucy's lips parted. He'd claimed Asuka as one of his Favored. She half-expected Alzack to be angry with him for it, but instead, when she looked over, Alzack seemed satisfied as he rasped, "You can guarantee that? That my daughter won't be hurt by the gods?"

It was Jellal who answered, and Alzack flinched as the sweet scent of decay wafted over them all. "It won't guarantee her safety from those like the one who marked her as they did, but it will give even Death pause."

Alzack's voice cracked. "Thank you."

Natsu dipped his chin once in a curt nod. He ruffled Asuka's hair gently before retreating to stand close to Lucy, nearly tripping over a meowing Happy in the process. Lucy slipped her hand into his and gave it a gentle squeeze; he clutched it in return, twining their fingers together.

Asuka smiled once more at the pair, then gave Wendy a final hug before turning her attention ever so briefly on Jellal. "Goodbye," she told him. "Take care of Mama, okay?"

Jellal chuckled, the sound low in his chest. "I will ensure she is safe," he said to both her and her father, and this time, Alzack said nothing. Lucy hoped he found some comfort in Jellal's promise. She didn't know him as well as any of the gods did, but she trusted his word in that regard. He did his work well from what she'd heard.

The last they saw of Asuka and Alzack, the pair were hand in hand, making their way down a deserted street.

Mere hours later, Jellal left, too, his face deadly serious as he took Virgo with him. "Find Gray," he told them, as if he knew something they didn't, and Lucy wondered if it had to do with what Erza had known. "Get to the sea. We will find you once you've met with Juvia."

Natsu's eyes narrowed into irritable slits. Lucy and Wendy were finishing their checks of the house and packing up inside after bidding the pair farewell. Charle and Happy tumbled in the grass near his feet, swatting playfully at each other. "Why the hell would we do that?" he challenged, wanting nothing more than to retreat to the safety of the mountains, where he knew Lucy would be safe and untouched by Vhalis and spirits and gods alike.

It was, much to his surprise, Virgo who answered. Her blue eyes were sharp and unforgiving. "You will do it if only for their sake," was all she said, and then the pair were gone.

Natsu stared at where they'd stood moments before. Something akin to dread twisted in his chest, and Natsu was quick to spin away and head inside, calling curtly for the cats to follow. He needed to see Lucy and Wendy, ensure they were safe with his own eyes.

And then figure out just what the hell Virgo meant.

LOOK WHAT'S FINALLY HERE!

Sorry for vanishing. Ended up super busy. My sister got married, my dog got super sick again, and I ended up with tendonitis, which is ever so great when you love writing like I do. I'm going to be taking it easy for a while, so updates might be slow, but they're coming. :)

Thanks to reviewers (marn-marn, InWonderl4nd, hopelesskar, Guest #1, Camanime, Sir Sasquatch, 3idiotsrule, InfiniteMiste, galactiaconstella, RedRose43, HeavenlyKira, & nerdalertwarning!) as well as those who favorited and followed! Your patience is greatly appreciated!