A/N: Hey, lovelies! I'll be honest...thanks to menaleus, iloveanimeyay and a guest, I have had this chapter written for quite a while! But have been sitting on it. Forgive me! You see, I am taking Creative Writing this semester at University, and well I just had little time to myself. Also, I really have made some changes to my grammar due to the class, and had a bit of a struggle writing in the same way as the last three chapters (due to my new writing style, which I plan to exhibit in another fic later on!) Truly, I am sorry for the wait, and to those following my other stories-I will get to them! (Eventually...**sigh**)

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, its just that simple.

Anywho...

PART FOUR

"You promised," A female voice rang in Lucy's ears as she squirmed and stretched. An earthy scent assaulted her nose. Willing her eyes to open seemed to take twice as long.

"Wh-what?" Lucy whispered to the voice as she finally made her eyelids lift. The blond mage was laying somewhere bright and warm. Wiggling her fingers she realized it was grass she was laying on. Turning her neck slowly, her eyes adjusting to the brightness, golden fields laid before her.

"You promised," a male voice now chimed in and her heart pounds as she recognizes it.

"Natsu?" Lucy hauled herself up, looking around frantically. Then she saw them.

"You promised to protect our future, Lucy," the couple spoke. Eyes widening in disbelief Lucy finally understood what she was seeing, her future-self who had died, and future Natsu? Was she dead? She started to panic.

"Am I dead?!" Lucy cried out, clutching her heart, and frantically looking around.

"No. Not yet," another voice entered from behind causing her to stagger and almost fall as she twirled to meet it.

"Master Mavis?" Lucy squeaked, "I don't understand! What's going on! Why are they-" she stopped as she turned to see the couple was already gone.

"You're dying, Lucy Heartfilia," Mavis frowned, sympathetically.

"How?" Lucy began to cry. The ghost made no move to comfort her.

"You were cursed with Own and you managed to attack your owner. Needless to say, your body is shutting down due to the stress put on it and the amount of magic you spent," Mavis began, "but even if you survive the damage of what you've done, the curse has not been lifted. You will remain a servant of Kain's until the curse has been separated from your body."

"I'm still not free? H-how can I lift the curse?" Lucy stared desperately at the spirit.

"You cannot do anything. The one who loves you most and most purely must destroy the doll to set you free, your team mates are arguing over who that may be as we speak. Can't you hear them?"

Lucy concentrated with all her might trying to hear anything.

XXX

"So, you're saying either you painfully extract the curse from her body, possibly leaving her magic-less and in poor health, OR someone who loves her most purely must destroy the doll and then she'll be fine?" Erza questioned the old witch once more just to get the story straight while Makarov continued to restrain Natsu in the corner.

"Yes. Regarding her current condition I would say you have less than the preferred time to decide which, too," Porlyusica growled, quickly gathering things for a curse extraction, as they spoke. Natsu finally quit squirming, looking over the rest of Team Natsu, all of them teary eyed. Makarov finally eased his hold.

"What do you say, team?" Gray finally broached the subject.

"Perhaps, Lucy-san should just take the extraction, since none of us are really her family," Wendy murmured sadly.

"B-but, Lucy could be seriously hurt," Happy voiced, from beside Lucy on her makeshift bed, aka: Porlyusica's table. Natsu was silent as he stared seriously at his partner's pale face.

"She would certainly have to depend upon magic-deficiency medicine for the rest of her life," Erza nodded sullenly.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Gray massaged his face, "what do you mean by pure love, Porlyusica?"

"The ancient text is unclear to be honest, but it is said that parents would ordinarily be the ones to do it, so it is guessed that it must be an innocent love of purity. However, that is unclear in a way also, given that any kind of true love can be pure."

Natsu could no longer remain quiet.

"We're not doing the extraction, I won't allow it," he began and as the others started to protest he pierced them with a heated look. "I won't allow it," he repeated with rage before adding, "Let me do it," there was slight shock on the team's faces, though the elder's looked quite relieved.

"Are you sure?" Erza and Gray chimed, looking worried, but also relieved.

"I couldn't be anything but. It shouldn't be a surprise how I feel for her by now," Natsu replied somberly.

"But, she will definitely die if we're wrong!" Wendy wailed.

"Calm down," Natsu hushed her, stroking her head gently, "what if we all just do it then?"

At this the elders perked up, not having thought of it.

"We could do that, right, Porly?" Makarov asked. The elders shared a look.

XXX

"Will that work, Mavis?" Lucy asked breathlessly, eyeing the beautiful woman.

"I should hope. Though, I cannot guarantee it," Mavis shrugged, grabbing Lucy's hand, before adding, "but, you must fight, Lucy! You must fight to live! Wake up, Lucy! Wake up!"

Lucy seemed to feel several hands on her at once, and her world grew foggy. Her body was enveloped in black and for a moment she truly thought she had died when a very warm hand brushed her forehead. Her mind supplied her with only one hand that could be that warm.

"Natsu," she tried to speak, repeatedly she tried to say his name. But in the vast blackness it all seemed lost and only that warm hand on her forehead kept her grounded.

XXX

"Natsu," Lucy whimpered, as the team huddled around her one last time, to take courage. Natsu stroked her hair back and cursed.

"We gotta do it now," he demanded, tears in his voice.

Finally, agreeing, they all formed a circle around the cursed doll.

"On the count of three you will all attack it," Porlyusica began, "one…two…three!"

Fire, ice, wind, and sword made contact with the doll and the world seemed to standstill.

A buzzing filled the ears of everyone in the room before a screech was emitted from the blonde's chest, and a golden light split the doll into pieces, blood oozing from its fibers.

"Lucy," Natsu scurried back to her side, grabbing her hand and stroking her face.

Everyone backed off, as the woman began convulsing and sweating.

"Is she supposed to be doing this?" Makarov cried.

"It's still a painful process," Porlyusica shrugged, "I think so." The whole room was crying though as the blonde continued to seize.

"Lucy, come on, Luce," Natsu whimpered, pulling her into his arms now, embarrassment be damned, "you gotta open those big brown eyes for me, you gotta yell at me for letting you get into so much trouble," he sniffed, wiping his face.

"Oh, Lucy, you have to wake up! You can't give up now; we still have so many adventures," slowly he leaned his forehead to the still quaking girl's forehead, "you have to let me tell you face-to-face how much I love you," he whispered. The man now nuzzled his nose against hers, his tears falling across her skin.

For what seemed like hours; the celestial mage, wrought with fever, kept shaking until finally her body calmed.

The old witch came up beside them and began taking Lucy's pulse and other vitals. Wendy soon joined her and before Natsu knew it he was being pulled away and held back as the women began their work.

"Natsu, they got to give her their aid, just be happy it worked, man," Gray slapped him on his back smiling.

"That doesn't mean I don't want to be with her," Natsu whined.

"Oh, really? I figured you were gonna weasel your way out of this confession somehow," Gray antagonized.

"What are you talking about, you damn snow cone?" Natsu spit, shoving Gray to the side, starting a fight.

However, a few moments later, Wendy came out with the old woman. Catching everyone's attention they announced that Lucy would be fine, and really ought to be in the infirmary. No one even argued with him, as Natsu bolted to her side, softly sweeping her up and heading towards the guild.

A/N: Yep, I have left you hanging! Mu-ha-ha-ha! Thanks, for reading you guys! Feedback, please?