Chapter 15~ Bloody Cresendo

The burning in his throat was the first thing to wake Natsu. It was almost unbearable, and he knew that he was well overdue for a feed; any longer and the Hunger would have be overwhelming. The sun had long since fell below the horizon; Natsu set out in search for fresh blood to quench his clawing Hunger. The streets were lit and full of life; laughter and fits of joy echoed in the back on his mind, as he made his way through the crowd. Various scents assaulted his nose, some sweeter than others, but the scents did nothing to alert his Hunger to what he needed. Natsu could hear the pounding of blood flowing in each body around him. He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry and needing. Already Natsu could imagine sinking his fangs into someone's neck and tasting the sweet nectar that is blood rolling onto his tongue.

Someone latched onto his arm, jolting him out of his daze. Natsu looked down with a jerk, recognising the blonde hair of the female looking up at him with sultry eyes.

"L-lucy?!"

She leaned closer, pressing her bountiful cleavage against his arm, whispering in a very suggestive tone, "I'll be anyone you want me to be."

And suddenly, Natsu didn't see the girl clinging to him as Lucy; her hair faded to a soft brown and her eyes turned jade. The girl tugged on his arm, and before he could choose, his feet followed, letting her guide him away.

"Ok."

The alleyway the girl Natsu had mistaken for Lucy escorted him to was poorly lit, and stunk of vomit and urine. He wrinkled his nose in disgust and was slightly put off the thought of the food that held his wrist loosely, her hips swaying as she walked. She tugged him forward, deeper down the alleyway, leaving the festive noise behind. Her heartbeat pounded loudly, and the Vampire began to surface, the ache in his throat ignited and blazed with hunger. Natsu's body moved on it's own, and the girl was pinned against the wall. She make a sudden, surprised noise.

"H-hey. Not so rough!" Jade Eyes whispered, swallowing slightly.

Her hair was soft and smelt of overused perfume that turned the Vampire sour. It wasn't the right smell. Her hand touched his shoulder, the finger tips shaking ever so slightly at the unexpected force he was using. It wasn't the right touch either.

The burning intensified, and before he could make any last minute decisions, he could already taste the thick bittersweet fluid stream down his throat as he gulped it down with a type of euphoria. It was like he couldn't stop, couldn't think, couldn't breath enough of it in. Yet as much as if felt so right, it also felt so wrong.

Jade Eyes went limp.

…

Lucy's POV

"If the peace you talk about is even possible, I believe that the person to obtain it, would be you, Lucy."

Freed's words circled around in my head as I chopped onions for dinner. My eyes stung and welled up with tears, somehow reflecting the inner turmoil I was currently battling. Blinking through the pain, I concentrated on finishing the task at hand.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." I muttered as I fought back the tears and tried to hurry with the onion.

There was a slight, sudden sting and I pulled my hand away, looking at the blood on my finger. It was only a small cut;My body automatically turned around, the words leaving my mouth before I could think.

"Don't you dare Nats-"

The house was empty, silent.

"Oh yeah… He's not here."

Feeling rather foolish, I bandaged my finger, before returning to finish off my dinner for tonight. Hours later, after the dishes were washed, dried and packed away, I found that I could not stand to sit in an empty house any longer, even if the TV was on full blast. Locking the door behind me, I let my feet escort me away, my thoughts drifting into the deepest parts of my being. The parts that echoed with unspoken words, trembled with denied passions and were always incarcerated behind fragile walls of iron. Sometimes those parts of myself seeped through the cracks, allowing fragments of those unseen and unsaid emotions to break free. To make the air shake with frustration, to make that of which is unspoken to scream until everything goes silent.

An empty feeling sat in my chest; it was a dark swirl of negativity, wrapping tightly around my thoughts and feelings so I could only remember the bad that this world had too offer. Flashes of memories danced in my eyes;

Dark. Closed spaces. Shuddering breathe, shaking hands. A small voice.

"Mama?" Silence.

A sliver of light cast it's way in the dark closet. Pushing against it gently, I-

Forcing the memory away, I curved my attention elsewhere. To something other than those memories that lie deep, the memories that no matter how many time's I'd cast them away, would only return like a bad cold. Freed's words flashed in my mind again.

What was I meant to do? What was my purpose? Where do I go from here? I felt stuck, lost; I began to long for the comforts of my life before meeting Natsu. Everything had been so simple. I was driven by a single force. Hatred. It was the one thing I lived for, fought for, even after joining Fairy Tail. Now it was like everything had been flipped upside down.

Which way was up? I felt like I was suffocating, drowning in the twisted, empty hollow in my chest. I knew everything that was happening, was because I met Natsu, yet I could not find myself hating the pink haired Vampire. I just hated this frustration, this inability to sort out my priorities, and make a damned decision. What was best for everyone?

I found myself at the park once again; I sat on the swings, dizzy from all the questions swirling in my head. The sky was splashed a kaleidoscope of celestial lights. It was peaceful, the night breeze softly shaking the leaves.

The darkness stirred in my chest, and I had to swallow it down. Despite it being peaceful, I could keep the daunting feeling at bay. I could to help but dread the future, dread the pressure of deciding how I wanted the world to be.

The first star appeared. I closed my eyes and wished with every fibre of my being. Wished for an answer. Wished for a solution.

"Starlight,

Star bright,

First star I see tonight,

Wish I may,

Wish I might,

Have this wish, I wish tonight."

…

Rouge wanted to bash his head it. He could imagine it; ramming his head into the wall and cracking it open like a brazil nut. It would hurt, and he hoped it would; he didn't know how much longer he could take this… this… torture. He wished he could swap places with Sting. At least the blonde could stomach this crap the two hunters were spouting.

Erza and Jellal had left the Cafe an hour ago, and were taking their sweet time to get to their destination. Rouge doubted they even had a destination in mind. He trailed behind them, close enough to hear their conversation, but not close enough for them to notice his presence. They were so wrapped up in there own little world, he doubted they ever would.

Jellal tok Erza's hand in his and squeezed it; they both couldn't look each other in the eyes, a moment of silence between them. Miss Scarlett was a red as her name suggested, before ,she too, held onto Jellal's hand a little tighter. Rouge could hear Jellal's heart skip a beat, and the bluenette stopped in his tracks. Erza turned to her companion with a look of confusion.

"Jellal…?"

Head down, Jellal pulled her closer, one hand encircling her wrist, the other tangling in her long red hair he loved dearly. He nuzzled her; Erza began to stutter.

"J-j-jelllal! I-"

"Please listen, Erza," He kept his voice low; Rouge had to strain to hear him,"I… Care about you. More than I should. And…" He seemed to be debating whether or not say what he desperately need to say, "I don't want to see you hurt."

"Jellal?" Erza seemed rather confused and flustered.

He let go of her wrist and pulled her body closer, burring his head further in to her hair; his breath tickling her neck. Rouge wanted to hurl at the fairly obvious display in public. Granted to was late at night, but still.

"Please let me stay like this," he seemed to beg, when Erza grew much to flustered to handle it, "Just for a little while."

Erza stood frozen, before a warm smile brushed across her features and she wrapped her arms around him.

"I don't quite understand the situation, but I am always here when you need me, Jellal. I've been rather worried about you. Recently you've been distant and distracted. Even tonight, you seemed to be thinking something else. Jellal, I want to be there for you. Please let me be there for you."

His grip tightened, before letting her go and cupping her face, "I have never met a more beautiful, brave and kind woman as you Erza," She blushed, "I'm sorry for making you feel that way, truly. Promise I won't make you feel that way, ever again," He looked down, eyebrows creased, "I'm just so… so worried about you. This threat we face every day just makes me think…" He trailed away, shaking his head, before looking at her with smiling eyes, "How much I love you."

"Oh Jellal!" She cried, wrapping him up in a warm hug, "I love you too."

Rouge stared down at them for a few moments, before spinning on his heel and promptly departed from the love scene.

What a waste of time.

…

The curtain flapped behind the two men, as they set off towards their new king, minds still processing the information Imitatia had revealed. Weissologia and Skydrumm were silent the way back, conversation died from the moment they could even form intelligent sentences. What the wanderer had told them both, left both Vampires shaken; They could only imagine Natsu's reaction.

Night was fading fast, so the two Vampires dashed homeward bound; a slight tremor in their steps and a collision of daunting forebode following close behind, nipping at their heels.

…

Long time no see… hahaha….

And this is the conclusion of Chapter 15. I really hope you all enjoyed it and I'm sorry it took so long to write. I've been rather busy around the house. Again, really sorry.

Nalu-4tw, Thank you for your encouragement. I try really hard to put emotions into my words. That's how I know I have succeeded as a writer when people feel the way the characters feel through my words. Thank you. Your support is greatly appreciated! :D

DIGIKO12, I'm getting there, I hope you liked the Jerza moment though! Nalu will defiantly come later! :)

2Bad-Habits, Thankyou for supporting me! You've been a great friend! I will defiantly follow my dreams wherever they may take me.

Kisa7221, Thank you very much! I'm glad you think my story is so good. :)

I extend my thanks to:

Guest

firecat1004

Ebony

artisofthemind

Hikari. Yume08

The Leaf Dragon Slayer

sooooy

soy

MeGustaZeref

Again thank you, and I hope to see you this coming year. May it be filled with happiness and laughter! Reach for your dreams and never let them go, no matter who says you can't do it, or how impossible it is. The people who say that let go of their dreams long ago.

You only have one life, so live it and live it the way you want to. Fight for change and make this world a better place. That is what I hope for this year to become.

Love,

BitterMondays.