Series: Fairy Tail.
Pairing: NaLu/EndLu.
Setting: Canon, AU Sequel [deviates from the 100 Year Quest].
POV: Alternates | Lucy/Natsu.
Rating: Mature | Sexual themes, blood, strong language.

Summary: A journey to reunite old friends. A friendship turned to romance. Finding Aquarius means nothing if it will cost her Natsu along the way. Lucy always knew tampering with E.N.D.'s book would have consequences, she just didn't know how soon. And now the truth could cost her everything. Haunted by Zeref, it's only a matter of time before Natsu fully awakens, and the bond they so cherish is put to the test.

PRELUDE: BECAUSE I LOVE YOU

And I walk steady on my feet.
I talk, my voice obeys me.
I go out at night, sleep without the lights.
And I do all of the things I have to, keepin' you off my mind.
But when I think I'll be alright, I am always wrong,
'cause my hands don't wanna start again.
My hands, no they don't wanna understand.
My hands, they just shake and try to break whatever peace I may find.
My hands, they only agree to hold your hands.
And they don't wanna be without your hands.
And they will not let me go.
No they will not let me go.

It came again today.

Grief—a monster so large not even Natsu could beat it. The creature prowled in the shadows of his mind, tearing his dreams to shreds. He watched the pieces fall in scraps all around him, rain and smoke and ash. Flames licked up his arms, oozing from scars she'd left behind.

If he looked closely, Natsu saw himself in the monster's serpentine eyes. The beast watched him from the darkness. In all the nights it came to visit, Grief never approached him. It just stared, pitiful, waiting for the day Natsu gave himself willingly. Maybe today would be that day.

A wink of light spun in the shadows. Something rolled towards him. Small and metallic, the object fell with a soft clang at his feet. Natsu crouched to inspect the item. It was Lucy's ring. He picked it up and stared at the small band. It was just a silly little thing. He'd thought nothing of it at the time, and now it seemed his entire world lived within the space of that band. Her fingers were so small.

His fingers curled around the ring, the edges creasing his palms, and then he launched it across the empty chamber, screaming until his lungs burned and more flames burst from his skin.

The ring landed somewhere in the distance, splashing through the darkness like a pebble skimming water, until it plopped out of existence.

Light undulated through the shadows like a full moon scintillating on dark waters. Natsu didn't move. He didn't dare. He unraveled the bloody scarf from his neck, squeezed it between trembling fingers. His cold breath fogged in the bloom of light. It still smelled like her.

More light blossomed in the blackness, opening like flowers in bloom, petals of gold and white expanding until Natsu had no choice but to shield his eyes from their beauty.

Footsteps echoed in the dark chamber.

The hands that touched him were so gentle he almost surrendered completely, but what little strength remained inside him, threads of denial and hope so thin they barely kept his heart together, refused to let go.

"You look well, Natsu."

Lucy's hair cascaded in thick waves down her back. She wore a fragile white dress, material so thin it barely clung to her scarred body. She cupped his face with her right hand, fingers gliding gently in his hair. Natsu grabbed her wrist and winced. He lowered the hand and stared at the scorched flesh, disfigured enough that her guild mark barely remained.

"Lucy..."

What are you going to say? the beast whispered. Sorry?

Natsu's chest tightened until his heart could barely beat. His throat constricted, trapping what few words mustered the courage to form. The magical lock they'd won still hung beside Aquarius's broken key on her neck, lapis where it had once been a translucent crystal. He retrieved the matching key from his pocket.

"You kept it," she said.

Natsu's eyes filled with tears. Questions surged through his mind, but instead all he managed to say was, "I miss you."

Her expression softened. "Do you remember our promise, Natsu? That you would live, no matter what." Lucy caressed his cheek. "Live, Natsu. Live a long, human life. You have things to do now. Our friends need you. They love you."

She took the scarf from him, erased the dried remnants of her blood with a gentle caress. Something about her actions seemed so permanent.

"You mustn't sleep and mope all day," she said.

"But this is the only place I can see you."

"This will be the last time, Natsu."

"What?"

"I won't visit you again. So please, promise me. Promise me that you'll live a good life."

"I can't."

"Just try. For me."

"Why did you do it, Lucy?" His voice cracked. "Why did you die?"

Lucy cupped his face. She kissed him gently, her lips cold, her hands colder. "Because I love you."

"Friends don't die for each other, Lucy!" Natsu yelled. He grabbed her shoulders, shook her as though he could rattle the sense into her.

"But we're not friends," she said. "And I would die for you a thousand times over."

She faded like glass shattering in slow motion, pieces of her body glittering with a kaleidoscope of colours. And then she vanished.

The beast lunged at him, black maw open to nightmares, and swallowed him whole.

Natsu woke to the darkness of Lucy's apartment. His neck twinged. He'd fallen asleep at her desk again. Happy snored quietly on a pile of Lucy's papers. They'd read her book over and over again, so much that even the difficult words rang true in his mind.

He rubbed the back of his head, willing the grogginess away, and stood. Natsu snatched Loke's key from the clutter on Lucy's desk and gripped it tight in both hands, wielding it almost like a sword.

And just like every night before, Natsu begged for Loke to come. Begged and begged until the effort burst in tears on his face, and the emptiness of losing her began to fill with blood and bile.

"Where are you?!" he screamed.

This will be the last time.

Natsu kicked Lucy's chair. He swiped keys and books and papers from her desk, launching them hard across the room.

Happy grabbed his arm. "Stop it, Natsu!"

He screamed louder, flipping the desk. Papers fluttered in all directions.

"She's gone, Happy!" Natsu yelled. "She's gone and it's all my fault!"

"No! It's not!"

"I killed Lucy! I killed..." Natsu collapsed to his knees.

Happy clung to him, and he allowed himself this moment of weakness. Natsu embraced his friend and together they mourned. Mourned what could have been. Mourned the good and the bad. Mourned the way Lucy's smile used to light up a room. Mourned the ache of wanting her and being unable to caress her soft skin or kiss her warm lips. Of being unable to exist beside her.

Lucy's name meant light. And true to that meaning, her death erased all light from Natsu's life. She'd taken everything with her when she disappeared.

At least if there'd been a body, at least if he'd seen it for himself, maybe he could accept it. Maybe he could move forward.

Natsu withdrew the black key from his pocket and wished it would glow again. That it would lead him back to her. He wished their journey had never ended. That he could start over from the beginning. Do things right. That he hadn't waited so long to kiss her.

"Natsu, what's that over there?"

Natsu looked to where Happy had spotted a small envelope on the floor, mixed in among Lucy's manuscript. He swiped it off the ground. It was addressed to Natsu. He opened it, and though it took a while, he read every word, savoured it, let it remind him of her warm voice.

Dear Natsu,

You were disappointed when I let you leave alone today. If I'm being honest, I'd love to go on another adventure with you. But being near you is strange right now. I'm afraid you'll see right through me. Whenever you're here, it's like my heart can't keep up. And it hurts so much.

"Lucy..."

Maybe I should resign myself to the fact that I'm better with words on paper than saying them out loud. I want to tell you how I feel. How our friendship makes me feel. And how being with you, laughing with you, living with you, makes me so happy. It makes me so glad that you're here. And even though Zeref did some awful things, I selfishly want to thank him for giving you to me.

If I say it here, maybe I'll be able to look into your eyes again. Maybe I'll stop feeling so out of sorts when you're here. Maybe I can sleep next to you without feeling so self-conscious.

I love you, Natsu. I'm so in love with you that I can barely stand it. You're always in my head. But these words just aren't enough. Because I can't find the right thing to say, I question how I feel. I question the true depth of these feelings. But one thing is true: I've loved you since the moment we met. And though I never truly understood these feelings until now, I know I want to be beside you forever.

I'm so glad we met.

Something rolled out from behind Lucy's up-heaved desk. Plue sprawled at Natsu's feet, his trembling figure vibrant in the darkness of Lucy's apartment. He mewled as Natsu helped him stand.

"Where did you come from?"

Plue raised a hand and shivered almost excitedly. Natsu scooped the spirit into his arms and wept as hope kindled in the dead veins of his heart. The spirit pointed his long nose to the entryway, a sliver of morning light running across the dusty floor. The key in Natsu's hand shimmered with a pale light, peeling away the lapis coating until it glowed clear white crystal.

The door opened.

Song: My Hands - Leona Lewis.

I really wanted this prelude to capture the rawness of Journey's End. I really wanted to touch on the darker aspects of Fairy Tail, but with strong touches of hope. This story might be filled with ups and downs, and conflicts abound, but it is driven towards a happy ending.

It's a tale of true love. A journey of friendship, romance, and struggles. I hope you'll enjoy it!

AVAILABLE NOW—
CHAPTER ONE: A NEW JOURNEY