Epilogue

"A car is waiting for you outside. Take Lucy and go."

Izayoi stood over Natsu, who held the unconscious celestial spirit mage securely in his arms as he looked up at the widow from where he knelt on the ground, his face stricken and his voice lost to him. The woman had turned her face away immediately after forcing Lucy into a comatose state and now had her arms wrapped around herself as her entire body shivered with violent, wracking sobs.

Natsu gathered his partner up and stood, though his legs were unstable and numb from shock. The sharp, loud bang that had filled the room when Izayoi had pressed her fingers against Lucy's forehead still continued to echo in his ears, and as hard as he now tried, he couldn't will his own hands to stop shaking.

"B-But," Natsu managed to stammer in a strange voice that wasn't his own. "Lucy…"

"Lady Heartfilia will be fine," Izayoi spoke clearly, although tears continued to fall freely down her white cheeks. "She will sleep though. For how long, I cannot say. But when she wakes, she will begin to remember. She will remember everything. And she will become stronger, much stronger."

"What's your reason though?" Natsu swallowed hard and looked down at Lucy's unguarded, relaxed expression that until then had always filled him with both the sense of happiness and sadness.

"I owe this to her, and I know that she'll need the strength someday soon. You know, don't you? That her father will be returning to his former company. He'll try to take her again, but this time, she'll be ready." A cold bitterness filled every word she spoke. "I wish I could tell you that my sole purpose for terminating the seal was because it has always been her birth-right, but that's not the case. When Judo tries to take Lady Heartfilia's happiness from her, I want her to strike him. I want her to fight back with a resolve."

"You want…revenge?" The words tumbled from Natsu's mouth in a whisper.

"Not specifically, although the idea is intriguing," A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, as though amused at an unspoken joke. "I want to give her the power her mother had intended to pass on to her, and I want her to use it. I want her to know what she's capable of. She'll finally be her mother's daughter again; the dragon's daughter."

"How strong will she get?" Natsu asked.

Izayoi sighed and clasped her hands behind her back, "Hard to say. I never saw what her mother was like when she was in her prime. When she became a member of the Love and Lucky guild, her power and life-span were already coming to an end. I never did find out how old Layla really was…"

"Do you think Lucy's mother has anything to do with the disappearance of the dragons?"

At this question, Izayoi picked up her netted hat and placed it back on her head. She turned to face Natsu, a smirk playing on her blood-red lips.

"You really do have a lot of questions, young man," She reached down and touched the side of his face. "But, if I had to guess, I would say it has everything to do with it. The answer could, in fact, be resting in your arms as we speak. The answer to all your questions. I leave my god-child in your care, Mister Dragoneel. I suggest you stick as close as possible to her. She is important to me, and from what I gather, you feel the same way."

Natsu didn't make a reply to this, and instead turned his suddenly flushed face away. Izayoi leaned down and kissed Lucy's cheek, a final tear sliding down from Izayoi's face and coming to rest beneath the young blonde's lips.

"You should go," The widow now spoke with a tone of finality. "I will pray for both your safety. If I hear anything about Judo that could prove concerning, I'll send a message of warning as soon as I can."

"Thanks," Natsu nodded.

"One more thing," Izayoi rummaged in the pocket of her dress, and brought out a heavy pouch that could only contain the payment for the completed mission. She held it out to Natsu, who shook his head hurriedly.

"We can't take that," Natsu rejected the offer immediately. "Consider it a favour from family."

"I hired you for this job, and you both did your upmost to help me. I am satisfied with your work, and I appreciate your intention, but please, take the money."

"But-!"

"Please. For her."

Natsu finally accepted the small fortune, and then proceeded downstairs, leaving Izayoi in that hated tower that even he now bore a dislike for in his heart.

The entire ride to the station, Natsu kept Lucy's head on his lap, stroking her hair as he tried not to think about anything. On the train, he slept soundly. He was tired. He didn't want to think of the future. He wanted to know everything was going to be ok when Lucy woke up. He hoped it. He prayed it. And he wanted to believe it, but the truth of reality was inescapable, no matter how hard one ignored it.

Something was about to change.

No.

Something had already changed. Something irreversible.

The entire train ride, Natsu dreamed. He dreamed of the conversation they had in that dim mansion before Izayoi had come home earlier that very day, of the words she spoke to him during the fundraising event. In his dreams he heard her voice, watched her smile, remembered her laugh, felt her touch, and became intoxicated by her scent.

He woke with a start when the train rolled into Magnolia's station. And when he opened his eyes and found Lucy lying across his lap, he also awoke to a harsh and cruel reality.

"What now, Luce? What do we do now?"

IT'S OVER. Lol not really. Just the first half. I'm trying 2 decide what to call the next half of this fic. I dont rly wanna do that whole "Name PART 2". It's 2 cheesy. and not very appealing. So I'll be thinking of that tonight as I go 2 sleep and then probably wake up at some weird hour with a great idea, which I will promptly forget by the time I get to a computer. I will then rage at myself until I rememberit. Anyway, again, thanks so much for reading! Mwah! Mwah! Until next time! Message me if you want to be friends on FB or Tumblr or Youtube of whatever :)