Stronger Than You Think (Fairytail)

Rewrite The Stars

Lucy's hands tremble, the peachy flesh paling to a ghostly ivory as her panic seeped in. Her nimble fingers clench around the crinkled piece of parchment, it's rosy pink color faded and worn. She takes short breaths, gulping air in. She stumbles to her couch, the soft black leather comforting and chilly against her skin.

She leans against her frosty colored throw-pillows. After calming her breathing, Lucy gingerly unclenches her bunched fists, releasing the stress from the paper. She unfolds the creased pink paper and traces a finger over the intricate rose designs imprinted onto the top and bottom of the page.

She carefully holds the letter at eye level, re-reading the letter. She had already discovered the letter and had read it, but couldn't resist the urge to re-read the familiar, blocky handwriting scrawled messily on the piece of paper.

Lucy,

It's me. I am not dead. I apologize for not coming for you sooner. But, do not fret, for I will be with you soon. Very soon. We'll be together, and I'll destroy Dragneel and the others. No one will take you from me again. I love you.

It had no name written on it, no name to pin the letter from. But, Lucy didn't need a name. She would recognize that messy, bulky handwriting anywhere. The way the person who wrote it obviously pushed too hard with the pen, its ink billowing into the paper, causing the letters to be thick and blocky.

She lifted the letter to her nose, inhaling the scent. It smelt of campfire smoke and the distinct smell of fresh air. She knew fresh air wasn't really a smell, but it was a feeling. The feeling of freedom, and adventure that the woods could provide. And she smelt the distinct woody smell of his jacket; She knew the letter had been tucked away in one of the many hidden pockets for days probably.

She tucked her legs to her chest, arms wrapped tightly around herself. She shivered, but couldn't bring herself to grab a blanket. The piece of paper was tucked away, its pink edge peeking out from its place sandwiched between her chest and thighs. 

Laxus...She stifled a cry that threatened to break through her calm mask. She knew it was him. 

'He's too late anyway...' A thought flits through her brain. Sting wanted to take her to Sabertooth in a week or two. She had been stalling, but Sting refused to let her stay in a place she was so obviously unhappy.

Well, unhappy was the wrong choice of words. She loved her guild-mates. Levy, Juvia, Jellal, Erza, Mira, Gray, Natsu, Wendy...Names flew through her head of people she cared for. But...she felt so lonely...so utterly forgotten once again. Not in the sense that people were intentionally pushing her away, but more so that people were moving on, graduating to new stages to their lives, without her.

Jellal and Erza were in a steady relationship, and Jellal had moved out of their house to purchase a house with the crimson-haired requip mage. Luckily for Lucy, she made enough money with her jobs to keep the house. Gajeel and Levy were dating as well but were still in their lovey-dovey, obsessive stage where all they wanted to do was spend time with each other. Gray and Juvia were together and mostly kept away from others. Lucy even recalled seeing the not-so-little Wendy blushing a pretty pink while interlocking hands with Romeo.  Even Mira had scored a boyfriend, but she refused to admit to who it was. And, well, Lisanna had started dating Bickslow. Lucy had been happy the girl had moved on from Natsu.

Speaking of Natsu, he was the only one, the only person out of all her close friends to remain single. She wasn't quite sure why, but she noticed the distant look in his eyes whenever he looked at her. Maybe he felt as left behind and forgotten as she did. He still attempted to connect with her, which she could at least be grateful for. Most of her friends were distant, all too caught up in their own lives to notice her grief. But, she did everything in her power to hide her sadness. To hide that she really wasn't moving on at all. She expected them to forget about her. They all had found happiness, and she didn't really want them to worry about her.

She shuddered again, the icy air prickling against her skin, spreading goosebumps. Suddenly, a fleece blanket slipped over her shoulders, as pink as the man's hair.

"You okay?" Natsu asked quietly, noticing how the blanket didn't help cease her shivers. He slowly eased his scaly white scarf off his shoulders, and delicately wrapped it around her slender neck. Lucy glanced up, a tiny smile pulling at her lips at his considerate nature.

"Yep, I'm just peachy," She replied, a bitter tinge seeping into her tone. "Do you always just walk into people's houses without knocking?" She asked dryly.

"Have you met me? You expect me to knock?" He replied in the same mocking tone. Lucy quirked an eyebrow.

"I guess you are the same Natsu who thought it was a good idea to sneak into my apartment through my window." 

He cracks a grin at the old memory. He plops down beside her, his naturally hot skin pulsing with heat, instantly halting her shivers. She unconsciously leaned towards his body, relishing in the warmth that she was submerged in. 

He noticed the pale pink piece of paper sticking to her chest, and couldn't help but curiously plucking the letter from her. 

She made a sound of protest, reaching to grab it, but Natsu merely moved out of her reach. He quickly scanned the letter, and his upper lip curled back into a feral snarl.

"Why is...why is he writing to you!" Natsu questioned, eye lingering over the paper once again. 

"I don't know! I...got it this morning! Now give it back!" She demanded, holding out her hand. He sighed, but handed the paper over to the blonde. A moment of silence passed were neither person said anything.

"You know this is really dangerous right...that he's really dangerous. He nearly killed us both..." Natsu finally said.

"I know...but I have to try...I have to try to save him..."

Lucy's fists clench, and she bites her lip.

"I failed him once already...I can't again..."