Glass Ring of Time (Fairy Tail FanFic)

Chapter 6

He hummed under his breath as if to lighten the mood. "I always thought I would be doing this when we are old like Gildarts." He muttered to himself and ended up exhaling air in frustration.

"Hopefully this works."

He dug into his pocket, searching for a certain round object. This was what they have been searching for. A hope. A cure. "Lucy..." he uttered as he took a hold of her hand.

Without much hesitation, he pressed the ring onto her finger.

One second.

"Igneel?" he cried. "W-Where are you?!"

The small boy stood in front of an cave opening and looked inside. All of his drawings were whisked away onto the ground. And he was gone without a trace.

Igneel was gone without a word.

"Where are you?!" the young boy screamed.

Three seconds.

"This is Fairy Tail. A guild full of mages and magic," the old man rambled. He stood in front of a funny-looking building and gestured for the young boy to enter it.

He stood in the doorway as several kids raced pass him. A lonely girl picked up her sword. A bookworm closed her book as she was bombarded by two other boys. A half-naked boy hid from her eyesight.

"And you are a Fairy Tail mage now. Welcome!"

Four Seconds.

The egg shook in the middle of the guild. Elfman backed away. He didn't mean to break the egg. All that he was trying to do was care for it.

It started opening and a small winged cat hopped out. "A cat!" Natsu smiled.

"Look, everyone's happy," Lisanna added.

"Let's call him, Happy!" The two agreed.

Six seconds.

"I'm Natsu. He's Happy, and you?"

"I'm Lucy, a soon-to-be guild member...I will surely join that guild. I bet I can get many big jobs there."

"I see."

He opened his eyes and tried pulling the ring off. Something was strange. He felt weak.

The ring stayed on.

Eight seconds.

It was absorbing him. He felt weak with each second. He felt defeated. Much like when he faced Gildarts.

"So...this is the price?" he wondered out loud. "A cursed ring."

Sixteen seconds.

He grabbed a bunch of flowers from a small store. The scent was strong for his dragon senses, yet he still hold them at an arm reach. These were Lucy's favorite flowers.

The same ones she picked out when they were in Crocus.

It was going to be awhile until they go back, so hopefully these will hold her over.

He walked along the cement walls. Below him, he heard her sweet voice.

Along with another.

His ears peaked and he looked around. Until his eyes finally set on a blonde head below next to the river.

Along with his.

Gray's.

She leaned against Gray's naked upper body.

His heart pained against his chest.

Twenty seconds

"We were only talking," she muttered under her breath.

"With Icehead?"

"About a mission. You really think I was cheating on you?!"

"Why else would you two be hiding down by the river?"

"That's where we planned to met to discuss!"

"Away from me?!"

"Yes! It was a surprise!" Her fist hammered against the table, "Don't you believe me?!" Her voice panted from all of the yelling and something else.

A fight that happened a day before she gotten sick.

He didn't even noticed her pale tone because of his fury.

His fault she became like this.

Twenty two seconds.

The ring didn't bulge from her finger. It stayed there as if glued to her pale skin. "I did say I would kill anyone who makes you cry...At least there will be no more tears, right?"

He waited for an answer that never came.

Only a small smile that formed on Lucy's face.

Twenty five seconds.

The water on her tray shined the moonlight in different varieties on the bed sheet. He licked his lips and reached over for the glass. His mouth felt so dry.

Twenty nine seconds.

"Each second she wears it, is a year that you lose. And sometimes, you can't get them off their fingers in time, before you lose your whole life." Those words echoed in the back of his mind. He didn't know whose voice it belonged to.

He lost count of the seconds. It seemed to go by too fast for him to count. His hand tried to nudge the ring off, but it stayed.

Each stroke on the clock caused him to wither in place.

Until, finally, the ring dropped onto the ground.

"What?" he mumbled. He took a hold of the glass and raised it above his eyes. Imminently, he felt all of the effects. His skin wrinkled. His eye sockets drooped. "Oh fuck," he cursed.

Natsu bent down, and brushed Lucy's hair to the side. Her skin began to color, as well as her pink lips.

She was cured.

He could only grin.

A lone tear ran down his face.

Everything seemed to good to be true. He leaned down and his cracked lips brushed against her white skin. "Thank you..." he muttered under his breath to the old lady who gave him this ring.

Her eyes opened and made eye contact. "Who...?"

Shiny brown eyes.

He shook his head before he could get absorb into them.

Lucy didn't recognize him.

He blinked away his watery eyes and escaped from the dark room. Just what has this ring turn him into?

A year that you lose...

His heart pounded against his ribs as he stood against the guild wall. He waited until his heart calmed down and looked at his wrinkled old hands.

If the ring fell off, did that mean...he had no more years?

Lucy's hand lifted to her cheek and felt where the stranger touched them. The skin chilled from the cold breeze that came through the window.

Gray shoot up from the chair and gazed around the room. "What happened?!" he searched the room for any signs of trouble.