Ba-Bump… Ba-Bump… Ba-Bump…

A moment ago, Lucy Heartfilia was rewriting the missing letters that disappeared from the swirling lines of words emerging from the book of E.N.D, having memorized them. She saw the words disappearing as a sign that Natsu had been injured in his fight with Zeref and, as such, she didn't hesitate to take action. To ensure Natsu's safety.

Ba-Bump… Ba-Bump… Ba-Bump…

Gray and Happy were beside Lucy, watching in awe with Happy in particular in a celebratory mood. She was about finished writing the last missing word.

And that was when it happened.

Her body suddenly froze up and began shaking as sweat started to take form and dripped downward. Her eyes widened and her breath seemingly began to come out in small gasps. Before she could say anything, she felt it.

BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP!

The painful pounding of her heart as vein-like and molten liquid-like markings began to spread on and inside her body. On her arm. On her chest. On her neck. On her face.

On her pounding heart.

BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP!

"Hey Lucy! What happened?!"

"Lucy! Stay with us!"

Gray and Happy's concerned voices briefly made themselves heard in Lucy's ears, only to be drowned out by the erratic pounding of her heart.

BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP!

The burning sensation that accompanied the markings was one that Lucy never felt before. And it was starting to become too much for her. She hunched over, clutching her chest in pain, struggling to breathe.

Not hesitating, Gray immediately rushed to her side. "Hang on!" He says in a deeply concerned tone. But he placed his hand on her shoulder, he immediately removed it when he felt the intense heat that was consuming her. "You're burning up!"

BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP!

Lucy's heart was practically overworking itself against her ribcage from the markings that were spreading on it, just to keep her alive. The sweat on her body had increased. Her lungs were heaving so hard that it's a mystery how they haven't imploded inside her chest yet. Her hands still clutched to her chest as she tried to calm down, trying to fight off the demonic energy flowing into her physical heart.

BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP!

"I… I feel hot," Lucy says, her words coming out in the form of shaky breaths. "Something's burning inside my body… Urgh…" She was definitely feeling the markings on her heart spreading more and more, causing her body to heat up even more. Gray and Happy looked on in concern.

"Natsu's fire," the blue cat said. "The flame of the demon…" Gray continued, undoubtedly worried about Lucy's current condition.

"But this…could be another clue…" Lucy says, struggling to breathe properly "if I can understand this magic, maybe I could…help Natsu."

"You could rewrite the demon within Natsu?" Happy said in a worried tone, knowing just as well as Gray does that nothing would stop her from keeping Natsu safe, even at the cost of her own life if need be. "But Lucy, you'll…" "I'm fine," Lucy replied, trying to reassure Happy that she was alright despite the fact that she wasn't.

BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP!

The red-hot markings continued to spread, latching themselves onto the violently pulsating organ in Lucy's chest. Without hesitation, Gray used some of his ice magic to create a blizzard-like mini-storm, allowing Lucy's body to cool down somewhat. "So cold," she whispered as she felt the cold of Gray's magic collide with her overheating body. "Let's save Natsu together," Gray says as he turns his attention to Lucy. The ice mage wanted make sure that she would come out of this unscathed. "Yeah," the celestial mage replied, giving a reassuring smile.

BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP!

From there, she turned her attention to the book itself. With the missing words now restored, she now hoped to rewrite Natsu's very fate. She prepared to write on the book. But then…

BABUMP!BABUMP!BABUMP!BABUMP!

The erratic pounding of her heart nearly doubled as soon as her pen touched the book's pages. The pain became more excruciating than ever as the markings even more. And yet, she powers through the pain. Nothing was going to stop her from protecting Natsu.

BABUMP!BABUMP!BABUMP!BABUMP!

Lucy continued to write on the book, making many alterations as she went along. But handling a demonic tome such as the book of E.N.D was beginning to take its toll on Lucy's body and on her heart, which by that point was already dangerously close to potentially exploding and giving out on her.

BABUMPBABUMPBABUMPBABUMPBABUMP!

Still, she wouldn't stop until she was absolutely sure that Natsu would be alright. Her breathing was an indication that her body couldn't handle it any more if it tried. Just as she was finishing writing, the book suddenly glowed. Within seconds, the letters and words that were previously swirling around the group were now returning to the book.

"The book…what's going on?" Gray asked, confused as to what was happening. "The letters are going back in!" Happy replied, unsure about what to make of it. "I've done everything I can," Lucy says to them, the strain on her body evident in her breathing as she slams the book shut. "I wrote in everything we could remember about him. Natsu is…the Natsu that we know is…" "He's no demon!" Happy stated.

Immediately after, Lucy's eyes rolled up into her head as her heart slow down. Her body, unable to handle E.N.D's demonic energy any further, became limp and fell into Gray's arms, as if her soul had left her body. Her breathing stopped. Her heart stopped. Everything went black as one last thought entered her mind.

"Natsu…"

"Come on, Lucy! Wake up! Wake up, dammit!"

All she now saw was a near-infinite pitch black void. All she now felt was complete nothingness, save for the strange feeling of something or someone pushing rhythmically on her chest and filling her lungs with some much needed air. All she now heard was a panicked and distraught voice that wasn't Gray or Happy calling out to her.

"Lucy! Please…wake up! Please!"

She wasn't entirely sure who the voice belonged to, but whoever it was, this person was now fighting to keep her alive, as evident by the fact that she still felt the rhythmic pushing being placed on her chest.

"I'm not letting you leave me, Lucy! Not again!"

BA-BUMP!

Then, like a flip of a switch, Lucy's heart began to resume its beating, slowly at first with its speed picking up within seconds. Suddenly, she began coughing violently, gasping for air. Her body jolted upward and her eyes widened as she began breathing erratically. After a few moments, she calmed down somewhat and attempted to take in her surroundings.

These attempts would be cut short when a certain someone begins hugging her tight. A certain someone with pink hair and who was in somewhat more bad shape than she was.

Natsu Dragneel was practically crying tears of relief at the sight of his closest friend being alive again. Gray, standing along side him, felt the same way. "D-don't make me worry like that," Natsu tearfully says as his tears fall onto Lucy's skin. "N-Natsu?" Lucy said, blinking in slight confused before it became clear to her that Natsu had given her CPR to restart her heart and save her life.

Her heart pounding at the thought of this and she started blushing as a result. Not wanting to look embarrassed, she simply asked one question: "What happened?"

"Gray and Happy told me everything," Natsu replied as he wiped some of his tears from his face. "You altering the book must have caused your heart to give out. Happy went to find Wendy and she'll…"

Natsu stops for a moment to hold Lucy tighter around him. "Oh god. I'm…I'm so happy you're safe," he says as he buries his head into her shoulder. Lucy could tell that Natsu was scared. Scared of losing her, the person closest to him, his best friend. Maybe something even more than that.

She didn't have time for wonder about that right now. Right now, she comforted the Dragon Slayer, placing his head onto her chest, where her heart is. "Me too, Natsu. Me too," she says as Natsu listened to the pounding of her once burning heart, reassuring him that she was alive and she was not going anywhere.

BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP!