"-ucy... Lucy... Lucy!"

I open my eyes and found Porlyusica hovering over me. "Mmhhhnn..", I moaned, sitting up. Where was I?

Oh right... I was still in the guild. But it seemed somewhat empty now. I turn to Porlyusica. "Where is everybody? What time is it?"

"It's past 2 AM. Everybody's gone home.", she answered. "You should stay here for the night. Oh, and he-", she pointed behind her to the Master. "Wants to talk to you."

I flinched. Oh god... this isn't gonna' be good.

"H-hai...", I agreed, knowing that there was no way out when it came to Master.

"Very good. I'll be going on home now. If it gets worse, have one of your friends bring you to me. We can't risk you going out on your own, so don't be reckless.", the old woman stated, walking towards the guild's entrance.

"Porlyusica!", I called out to her. She turned back to me. "Thank you... without you, I don't know what would've happened to me.." She sighed before smiling warmly. Then she exited the guild without another word.

My eyes averted to the tiny, old man standing on the end of the arm chair. He looked at me with guilty eyes. I sighed, I could tell I was gonna' have to get used to those kind of looks. "M-master...", I looked down. "I-I'm sorry-"

"There's nothing for you to be sorry about, child. None is your fault.", he whispered, sitting down. "Why... why didn't you tell anyone? If you knew, then why-"

"Huh...", I looked out the open entrance of the guild and sighed. "Oh, how easy would it be to tell the family I love the most- that I would die way before them..."

I saw Master flinch. He put a had on my foot and squeezed it gently. "No one is at fault.", he muttered, the guilt becoming more visible in his voice.

"You know...", I murmured. "The worst part about being sick, is having to see the guilt in everyone's faces."

He sighed, squeezing my foot tighter. "And the worst part about that,", I continued. "Is realizing there's nothing else they can do for you.", I trailed off.

"I'm sorry, Lucy... I am so sorry..", he breathed, tears emerging from his closed eyes. "I'm... so sorry.."

Natsu's POV

I look up at a distant window that was easy enough to reach for me. "Happy...", I muttered under my breath.

"Aye!", the blue cat jumped on my shoulder.

"Do you think Luce's awake?", I continued to stare up at her window.

"She's probably already asleep.", he answered. "D'you wanna' go see?"

I thought for a while. Do I wanna' see her? Of course I do! More importantly, does she wanna' see me?

I jumped and caught hold of the window sill. I pulled myself up and opened the window.

"Lucy! Are you still awake?", Happy called out, flying into the room.

I hesitated before setting one foot on the bed. I looked around the dark room, which was filled with Luce's scent. Thats why I like this place. It always smells like Luce. And I like her smell.

"L-Luce..", I quietly called out. There was no answer. "Do you think she's taking a bath, Happy?"

"At 2 in the morning?", the cat sweatdropped. I wrinkled my nose. Although this whole place smelled like Luce, there was no strong source anywhere.

"I can't smell her anywhere here.", I turned back to the window. "Lets see if she's still in the guild."

"Wahh!", Happy whined behind me. "I'm tired, Natsu! Let's go to sleep!" He fell onto Luce's bed and dozed off. I turned back around and flicked him with my big toe. No answer.

"Ha..", I sighed. Guess I'll be going to the guild alone.

I sprinted to the guild as fast as I could. Finally, I made it to the entrance, which was open for some odd reason. By now, Master would've closed and locked the guild.

I slowed down to a halt when I spotted Luce sitting on the same spot with a glass of water in her hand. She was humming a pleasant tune while her eyes were closed. My heart softened at the sight. She looked so relaxed.. so safe and innocent. There was no way I could've know that was far from the case.

"Luce...", I whispered, walking closer to the beauty. For some reason, the closer I got, the faster my heart throbbed inside my chest.

Her eyes fluttered open and I found myself staring at her chocolate, brown orbs. How come... how come I've never realized how stunning they were?

"Natsu...!", she gasped, setting down the glass of water on a nearby end table. Although she looked worse than she normally did, I still found her beautiful. "A-about earlier... I'm sorry! It was so sudde-"

"Aahh..!", I panicked. The second I heard her speak, my heart leaped and my brain danced around. Everything confused me and it was an overwhelming feeling. Once again, even though I knew I would regret it, I resorted to the last thing I thought I could do; run.

Lucy's POV

Once again, Natsu dashed out the guild doors, leaving me in complete, utter silence. My heart clenched once more at the feeling of rejection.

I put a hand over my chest and massaged the throbbing spot. "Mmm.. this isn't good for my heart.. why did I have to fall in love...?", I whined quietly.

"Lucy!", Master called from the second story balcony. I looked up. "Do you want to move to one of the guest rooms up here?", he called. Ah..! I remember the mayor, who had built our new guild along with the kind townspeople, saying that he had added 6 extra bedrooms incase anyone wanted to sleep here. No one had used the rooms so far, and no one had actually bothered to see any of them.

"Can I?", I replied.

"Here let me help you.", he front-flipped from the railing and landed next to my chair. I set both my foot down and scooted to the edge of the arm chair. Master held out his hand, which I took, and we slowly climbed up the wooden stairs to the first guest room.

I dragged myself to the queen-sized bed by the window and sat down. "Thanks..", I murmured.

"Child, we need to talk about your life style-"

"You mean the days I have left? Sure. But there's not much to talk about, considering my days are limited.", I sighed, laying down. "Well, it was limited from the very beginning."

"Yes...", he uttered, looking down. "Me and Porlyusica have talked... a lot. And you need to choose your actions wisely. Every second you spend, make sure you will not regret. You can't retrieve the time you have lost, and you don't have a lot to make up for it."

"I know..."

"She said that you shouldn't be walking too much. If you were to be outside the guild, you cannot wander too far."

"So I can only walk inside the guild..? Well, my apartment isn't anywhere near the here, so.."

"Yes, your home. We suggest that you start living here from now on. We'll move all your furniture to this room and I'll personaly tell your landlord that you won't be staying there anymore.", he explained. "Unless-"

"No, its fine.", I responded. "I guess it wouldn't hurt for a move."

"Well, you won't be the one doing any of the work. You just have to hang around in the guild. I'll replace that bed-", he pointed to the bed I was currently resting on, "with the one in your apartment so you can feel at home again."

"Fairy Tail is my home. So I don't really mind one way or the other."

"Lucy...", the old man mumbled. He hopped on the bed next to my head and stroked my hair. "Because of this... goddamn disease-! Y-you're... you're losing your life-"

"No.", I exhaled, draping an arm over my eyes. "No, Master. No. Life is not lost by dying or just some kind of disease; life is lost by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand uncaring ways (Stephen Vincent Benet)... there's no way to prevent loss of life. And there's no way to get it back."

"Oh, child...", he sang. Precious minutes went by in utter silence. Until he finally spoke up, "Okay, then. You better get some rest. We'll start working everything out tomorrow." He jumped off the bed and walked to the door after turning the light switch off.

"Master."

"Yes?"

"I told Porlyusica, and I'm gonna' tell you. Please, do not tell anybody.", I repeated.

"They deserve to know-"

"I don't care! I-I just.. I don't want to deal with guilt...", I whimpered. "I-I know its... selfish, but... but..."

"We have lost many loved lives. Precious things we know we cannot hold in our arms once again. And all we have, all that they are now, are memories, we cannot change that. And there's no point in denying, so we cherish the only existence there is left of them."

I cried more, tears damping the pillow under me. Hearing the wise words my Master; my father-like figure had spoken to me, made more damn sense than anything I know right now. But, I can't... I can't bring myself to even think about the things they would do if they were ever to find out. It would break their hearts even more than mine already is.

"I want them to have more memories of you, more importantly, I know it doesn't matter now, but I want you to have something to be happy about. Something that proves that you lived a life worth dying for."

"I don't want to spend my final days with them if it means they'll be guilt-ridden the whole time.", I told him. "I can't stand anyone looking at me like I'm- some kind of weak, delicate, vulnerable- fragile little doll that has no chance in surviving one more week! I... not yet..! Not yet.. I don't want them to find out... not yet..!" I tried wiping my tears away, but they just won't stop coming.

It was silent for quite some time. More precious minutes wasted.

"If that's how you want it, child..", he sighed in defeat. He exited the room without another word, closing the door behind him.

Now, it was an eerie silent. No comforting discomfort, no akwardness. It was so quiet that I started hearing things my own mind had made up.

No. I can't spend precious time laying in bed. I need to go out. I need to spend these precious seconds doing something!

I threw my heavy legs over the edge of the bed and lifted my torso up with my arms. "Ugghhh...", I groaned, sitting up. Then the door creaked open, breaking the silence. I averted my attention to a silhoutte of a head by the doorway.

"Who's there?", I called out.

"L-Lucy...", a high pitched voice mumbled.

"Who are you?", I repeated.

"I-is... everything I-I just heard.. true...?", the voice stuttered.

"No. Who are you?", I tried standing up, but like all other failed attempts, I fell back down on my bum. The mystery person opened the door wider, the light from outside flowing into my room.

I squinted my eyes, the person standing in front of me becoming more vivid. Her skin is shiny white, her hair long and white, her dress pink.

Mirajane.