In the E.N.D

Chapter 31: Goodbye

Lucy's POV

It's been a week since the fight with E.N.D and Fairy Tail is still suffering from the damage he caused.

When Natsu left, I called Poluysika and other guilds for help, we took the wizard saints to a near hospital and our members home to the guild infirmary. Some wake up really fast, like Gray and Erza, but there are other that haven't woke up, like Laxus and Elfman. Gajeel just woke up, I'm relieved by that because Levy-chan had been worried all week without eating or sleeping.

"Lucy, are you ready?" Erza call to me, lately I'm always thinking to much and not paying attention to my surrounding.

"You can never be ready to this kind of things" I get up from the bench I'm sitting and walk with Erza, today is Macao's funeral. He was the only casualty from our side, but it was a sad one.

Romeo hasn't talk to anyone in this week, not even his mom, he barely eats and sleeps, he just wonders around, I can't even imaging the pain he's feeling, it must be terrible.

We go to the cathedral for the funeral, everyone is dressed in all black except for the white bandages. Romeo, Macao's wife and Wakaba are the ones sitting at the front, the 3 are crying, I'm crying, everyone is crying. I hate funerals, they are the worst thing in the world.

We leave the cathedral and go to the guild, we still have to take care of the injured. After helping in the infirmary for about an hour I go out, I can't bare to stay there any longer.

I walk through Magnolia until I reach the Sakura tree that Natsu dig when I was sick, Romeo is sitting at the bottom of the tree so I go and sit with him, in silence.

"I don't blame him" Romeo says

I turn my head to see him, I'm confuse.

"I don't blame Natsu-nii, he couldn't stop him. I saw it."

"You saw what?"

"I say it in his eyes, for a brief moment after E.N.D killed my father his eyes changed. It was just a second, but I saw it, the pain Natsu-nii was feeling at that moment, he was suffering more than us."

"Romeo..."

"Yes, I'm sad, but I try to be strong because I have to take care of my mother and if Natsu-nii ever returns and sees me sad he's going to take all the blame to himself, I don't want that. Not after what you told us."

I told the guild what happened after everyone was unconscious, how Natsu took control and leave the place, but I hadn't told anyone what I saw in Natsu's eyes.

"Do you want to know what I saw in Natsu's eyes when he took control over E.N.D?"

"Please..."

"He.. he was sad, he was suffering, he was crying because he thought all what happened was his fault because he couldn't stop E.N.D. Then he stood up and walked away, he turned to look at me and smiled, his eyes reflected suffering and sadness, but he smiled for me."

"That's just like Natsu-nii. I was too young, but I still remember when Lisanna died, well.. disappeared. Natsu-nii was keeping a smile for the guild, for Elfman and Mirajane, but one day I followed him to the place he made the grave to Lisanna. He was crying, telling her that it was too hard to be strong for others when he couldn't even be strong for himself, but then he returned to the guild and continue smiling."

"That's just the way he is, right?" it wasn't a real question, but I needed to ask it. "After the fight with Tartarus I blamed Natsu for leaving me alone, because I had just lost Aquarius and I was sad, I never stopped to think about his loss, he lost Igneel and I didn't care. Even when he returned, I still blamed him for leaving me, but one day I woke up in the middle of the night and heard Natsu talking in his sleep... he was crying, saying Igneel's name over and over again. That's when I saw the truth, Natsu is always strong for us, but who is strong for Natsu. Now I have my answer Romeo, you will be strong for him, you are being strong for him and your mom, I'll help you with that task and be strong with you"