Fairy Tail: Falling Towards the Chaos

Chapter 54

"Hello? Lucy! Lucy, wake up!"

Her body was being roughly shaken, and she ached all over. She groaned, but it came out as more of a pathetic whimper.

"Gray, take it easy on her," a gruff voice scolded, "she's badly hurt. What the fuck happened to her?"

"I don't know but Gajeel, quick, give her your jacket, she must be cold," a soft voice commanded, "oh gods, Lu."

"Someone call Wendy! Quick!"

She somehow found the strength to open her eyes, the worried faces of Levy, Gray, Happy, and Gajeel looking down at her. She was cradled in Gray's arms as Levy urgently tugged Gajeel's large black jacket around her shoulders.

"Lucy, we were looking everywhere for you!" Happy cried once he realized she had woken up, "what happened? Have you seen Natsu?"

At the sound of Natsu's name, Lucy lurched forward in Gray's lap, taking a deep breath as the memories from before flooded her mind. Natsu was okay, he was alive, but he was with Zeref. The dark wizard, who also happened to be his older brother.

"I-I n-need—" Lucy coughed. Wendy hurried over, hands outstretched with a faint warm green glow.

"It's okay Lucy, take your time, you'll be alright," Wendy said, tone serious as she focused all her magic and energy on healing the blonde mage.

"Z-Zeref, h-he's with Zeref," she muttered weakly, clutching Gray's arm, "I-I don't k-know what's happening but please." She begged, but she didn't even know what she was asking for.

"Lucy, where are they? Where is Zeref?" Mavis demanded to know, stepping forth from the crowd.

"The guild," Lucy stated. Mavis nodded, accepting the answer for what it was, allowing Wendy to heal her properly as she declared she would be the one to stop Zeref, forbidding anyone from even stepping within a one-foot radius of the guild.

"Please, someone get Lucy some proper clothes, we must prepare for any surprises," Mavis directed, a few others hurrying off to carry out her orders. Lucy winced slightly as she was healed, some parts of her body hurting more than the others as Wendy's magic flowed through her veins.

"N-Natsu said she was with Zeref, but I didn't believe him," Warren said to himself, "this is all my fault."

"W-wait! The guild!" Someone called out, and Lucy craned her head over Gray's shoulder to see, and the sight she saw punched the air out of her chest.

The Fairy Tail guild hall had gone up in flames. The entire building blazed like one singular flame, the cinders rising higher and higher.

"Natsu," she whispered under her breath.

"He better win," Gajeel scowled deeply, face knitted up tightly, arms tensed.

"He will," Gray said with determination, "he has too."

"Besides, uh, I don't know if this is the right time to say this really," Gajeel said, turning away from the blazing building, staring at Lucy intensely, "but something is a little bit off about you and I don't mean that in a rude way."

Lucy blinked up at him in confusion.

"I-I noticed it too actually," Wendy chimed in, biting her lip nervously, "it's a weird kind of smell and aura. Your energy is different, Lucy."

"I-it's different?" Lucy mumbled, head lolling to the side.

"Yes, I can't quite place it though," Wendy frowned, face thoughtful as she continued pulsing healing magic throughout Lucy's body, "something is clouding it—"

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Mavis said with a guilty smile, hands clutching an old brown tattered book. Lucy recognized it almost immediately and scrambled up and out of Gray's hold.

E.N.D.

"It was lost amongst the chaos I presume," Mavis stated, "here, Lucy, I think you should have it." The smaller girl placed the book gently in the Celestial Priestess' arms. Lucy stared at the book incredulously. This little book was Natsu. This book encapsulated the man she loved. She wanted to throw it away, burn it, destroy it. There was no way.

Natsu was so much more than a book.

He was so much more than a machine built to kill.

Instead, she held the book close, as if it was the very man she loved. She couldn't stop the tear that slipped out, only bothering to collect herself when someone arrived with a pair of clean clothes for her.

She changed quickly, uncaring about the eyes and bodies surrounding her. She needed to do something. She needed to help.

"Gray, I need your help," Lucy said, eyes focused on the book as she started to walk away from the crowd, somewhere more secluded. Somewhere it was safe.

She knew the ice wizard was following her, alongside Happy, who flew to catch up with her. He landed on her shoulder, nuzzling her cheek comfortingly, she couldn't help the little smile that graced her face.

"This, this book?" Lucy sighed, holding it up for them to see once they reached a clearing filled with trees, "this is Natsu. Natsu is this. I don't have time to explain everything to you guys right now, but I need your help. I need to help him. I need to save him. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, yes absolutely," Gray huffed, "what do we do?"

"We open this book,"

-----

"Now, now, you reveal yourself! All for a girl," Zeref's laugh roared over the flames. Above them, a support beam fell, burning to a crisp.

"She's my mate," Natsu spoke, his voice broken, as he walked towards his brother slowly, "she's mine."

He rushed forward, feet off the ground, his large scaly wings carrying him as he slammed into his brother, clawed hands wrapped around his neck, squeezing tightly. He didn't even care. He just wanted to wipe this being from the face of the earth.

He wanted revenge.

Zeref easily threw him off, though, sending Natsu crashing back into one of the guild's stone pillars. Natsu barely felt the pain, didn't register what had happened—he'd just planted his feet, opened his mouth, feeling the fire tickling the back of his throat before he roared with such ferocity the building shook.

He didn't let that deter him.

No, Natsu was out for blood.

"Yes! Destroy me, fulfill the purpose you were created for!" Zeref shouted, a maniacal grin on his face as they collided once more, Natsu snapped harshly in his face, "let's see if you're able to actually do it this time."

To be continued...