Does Love Last Forever?

Chapter 4

"It's been days since we've seen her," came a muffled voice outside Lucy's apartment. "Natsu left 3 days ago. Do you think it has something to do with that?"

The sound of a key turning in the lock and the door opening and closing permeated Lucy's sleep. Was someone in her apartment? In her depressed state, she didn't care, and didn't even open her eyes.

"She's in here, Mira," came Levy's voice, and the sound of footsteps followed her announcement.

"Oh, Lucy, what's wrong?" came Mira's sweet soft voice. Lucy felt a warm hand on her forehead. "She's not running a fever. Do you think it could be something else?"

"I don't think so," came Wendy's young voice. "I'm not sensing any illness from her."

"Lu, what's wrong?" came Levy's voice again, and the mattress dipped as she sat next to her friend's still body.

Lucy slowly opened her eyes, squinting at the bright light, and looked at her friends gathered around her. There was Levy and Mira, Wendy and Cana, and even Erza, all crowded into her bedroom looking at her with concern.

"It was all a mistake," Lucy's voice sounded rusty from disuse. She didn't know how it was possible she had any left, but tears filled her eyes. "He told me he just used me to get through dragon season. I was never meant to be his mate."

All the air in the room seemed to get sucked in and released at the same time.

"Oh honey," Mira said apologetically, looking at her sympathetically. Levy simply looked shocked. Erza and Cana, on the other hand, looked ready to go on the hunt. Erza had even requipped a sword in her hand. Wendy just stared at her, wide-eyed. She wasn't old enough to go through dragon mating season, but she was pretty sure once you choose your mate, that was it - it was forever.

"I-I don't understand," Wendy began, and Levy nodded, thinking the same thing. Levy was pretty sure the whole mating thing was pretty permanent - it couldn't be faked.

Mira kept rubbing Lucy's shoulders. "You're with friends, now. Don't you worry about a thing - we got you." She glanced at the others, and they nodded. She turned back to Lucy. "Why don't we get you up and dressed and head to the guild for a bit? You've been staring at the same four walls for awhile. It'll be a nice change."

"I-I can't," Lucy stumbled, her eyes wide as she thought of running into Natsu. As if reading her thoughts, Cana told her, "Don't you worry about seeing the asshole. He got permission from the Master to go train for a year. Smart choice, because otherwise, we would've killed him!" she declared, her eyes narrowed and fists clenched.

"Don't let a man dictate your life. They're all scum anyway!" Wendy declared, her cute voice stating such a fact that it made the others smile. Even Lucy's mouth turned up a little.

"You might want to take a shower first, Lu," Levy leaned towards her. "We'll wait for you, don't worry."

The ladies entered the guild as a powerhouse team. There really were strength in numbers, Lucy thought, as she let the girls lead her to the bar where Lisanna, smiling, placed a strawberry milkshake - her favorite - in front of her. Lucy nodded her thanks, still not quite up to smiling just yet. Her heart still hurt, but her friends were helping her feel better.

While Lucy was distracted by Mira and Lisanna, Levy made her way over to Gajeel. Juvia and Gray followed her as well, sending worried glances over to Lucy.

"What's going on with Bunny Girl?" Gajeel growled out, not used to seeing the normally cheerful girl so down.

"Natsu told her that he made a mistake and that she wasn't his mate after all. I guess it was after that we saw him come in the guild hall and get permission to go on his training mission."

"He what?" Gray nearly shouted, Juvia quickly covering his mouth so Lucy wouldn't hear him.

"Did anything strange happen to him while you were gone?" Levy asked Gajeel.

Gajeel shook his head. "Same old Salamander," he shrugged. "The last day he got a little quiet but said it was because he had a headache." He chuckled. "Didn't stop him from nearly blowing some guy away though!"

"He wasn't acting unusual here at the guild, either," Juvia spoke up. "He and my beloved Gray were fighting, as usual."

"Happy went with him, didn't he?" sighed Levy. "He'd definitely be the one to talk to."

The group glanced over to where Lucy sat. "She needs a distraction," Gray finally said. He chuckled. "I'm sure her rent is due soon. Maybe Team Na- I mean, the team should go on a mission," he said, cursing at himself for the stumble.

"That's not a bad idea," Levy agreed. "Have a sense of normalcy return."

Gray walked over to Erza and spoke quietly in her ear. She nodded in agreement. "Wendy, Lucy, I think it's about time we got back on track and took a mission, don't you think?"

Wendy, along with Carla, who had joined the group at the bar with Lucy, nodded. Lucy looked up at Erza and gave a shaky smile to Gray, knowing what they were doing. "Well," she began thoughtfully, "my rent is due soon."

Gray grinned. "That's what I thought! How about we go over to the board and look for something good? I don't know about you, but I feel like kicking a little ass."