Bloody Love [A NaLu Fanfic]

Chapter 4: Alone

As Lucy wandered the night streets alone, she looked up at the beautiful night sky. Now all will be well, she thought, bittersweetly, all will be better now.

Lucy suddenly felt that same sharp pang of hunger she felt before. What's happening to me? she thought in panic as her vision blurred in and out of focus and she struggled to move forward. It can't be... that I really have to consume a heart?

Just as Lucy was about to fall to her knees, suddenly a pair of strong arms caught her and twirled her around. She faced Natsu, concern etched on his face.

"Lucy, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly. At this, Lucy burst into tears and buried her face in his chest.

"Oh, Natsu," she cried. "You have to stay away from me!"

"Lucy," Natsu whispered gently, looking into her eyes, "you know that I'd never leave you..."

Lucy looked up at him through tear-filled eyes, and their faces moved closer, and closer...

Lucy blinked, and suddenly Natsu was gone. She looked around her, confused, but all she saw were empty alleyways and the shadows of night.

Was I hallucinating? Lucy wondered. Am I going crazy? She shuddered at the thought.

As Lucy continued to walk on, it started to snow. Winter--as cold as my heart, she thought. Lucy collapsed onto the floor and started to weep. Oh, Natsu, we can never be! I'm a monster now...

"On the contrary, you are still as good as an angel," said a sly voice.

Lucy turned around and found herself face-to-face with the Grim Reaper.

"You! What have you done to me?!" Lucy exclaimed angrily.

"I didn't do anything," the Reaper said innocently. "You willingly entered into our deal. Though I must say, I'm pretty surprised that you've been holding out on your hunger for so long. It's been a week, which is longer than what most people can stand after the initial extraction."

Lucy's blood froze. A week? How has it been that long? she thought. Had I been delusional for a week?

"I will never succumb to what you wish for me to do," Lucy told the Reaper defiantly. "No matter how much hunger I feel, no matter how weak I become, I will never stoop to the doings of a monster."

The Reaper sighed. "Lucykins, you can't fight survival instincts. I've come here to help you. Once the month is up, you'll be significantly weaker. If you don't want to end up killing out of control, then you'd better drink this."

The Reaper produced a vial containing reddish-purple liquid from the folds of her robe and offered it to Lucy. Lucy turned her head away.

"How can I know to trust you?" she asked suspiciously.

"I upheld my end of our deal," the Reaper replied. "I'm not against you, Lucykins. The sooner you get rid of your hunger, the sooner you can get back to your friends."

Lucy eyed the vial doubtfully. But she was so hungry by now that she was beginning to feel her energy drain away. Impulsively, she took the vial, and, with one swallow, drained its contents.

Immediately Lucy felt 100 times better than she had felt seconds before. Her energy was back and she was thinking clearly. Lucy breathed a sigh of relief.

"What did I just drink?" she suddenly panicked.

"You drank the essence of a heart," the Reaper replied casually, examining her own fingernails.

"WHAT?" Lucy exclaimed in panic. "I swore I wouldn't kill! I- I- I'm not a monster!" Lucy buried her face in her hands and began to weep.

"Lucy, dear, there's nothing to worry about," the Grim Reaper soothed her. "It was the heart of someone who had just died. But you know, I can't always be helping you find your heart. You have to do that by yourself."

"Then why are you 'helping' me now? Why are you torturing me? Why won't you just let me die? A life for a life," Lucy wept bitterly.

"Because," the Reaper mused, "contrary to what it may seem, I do adore humans. I also pity them. I think they are interesting. Consider this an experiment of an ages-old superbeing who is tired of just taking lives without giving them another chance. My little playthings," the Reaper smiled darkly.

"Why, you--" Lucy raged. "Treating us like your pets!" Lucy stood up and pulled her keys from her belt.

The Reaper laughed. "Going to fight Death?" she mocked in amusement. "How ironic. No, Lucy, you can't kill Death herself..." With another cold laugh, the Reaper vanished.

What am I going to do? Lucy wondered. I can't go back to the others like this! Lucy looked down in despair at her hands... which were glowing bright red.

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This part actually kinda creeped me out when I was writing it! But the next chapter is sweeter, I promise!

xo Rulan