Title: Gone

Author: fullmoon'11

Warnings: major character death, graphic descriptions, angst

Summary: Her determination shines brightly, but Death is closer still.

"I… I must get up," she says, her voice no more than a breathy whisper issuing from her bloody lips. She coughs, expelling more of her precious lifeblood, and curls into a tighter ball around herself.

She is almost gone. He can tell, from the puddles of blood seeping into the cracks in the stone floor, to her quivering, almost-unconscious form, that she is close to the brink of death. Her keys and the brown leather pouch she keeps them in are at her waist, but her brown eyes, which were so full of life and vivacity, are dull.

She uses her good arm, the one that isn't broken, the one with the guild stamp on the back of her hand, to force her unwilling body up. Her blonde hair is matted with blood, and each breath is a battle between the pain of her broken ribs and her body's need for survival.

"I can't," she rasps, "fall here. Natsu and the rest," her ribcage rises and falls, "need me. I need to finish this."

And suddenly the fire is back in her eyes, and they are determined eyes. Good eyes. Eyes that will fight to the last, eyes that will fight until her final breath is drawn. The same eyes he saw in her guild mates, the scarlet-haired, compassionate, strong armor mage, the stripping (he's still not sure why), cool-headed, brilliant ice-make mage, and the pink-haired, bold, brash, fiery-tempered Dragon Slayer.

These types of humans are the ones he likes the best. Resistance makes their souls all the sweeter when they part from their bodies, and he has had the chance to savor each and every one, except hers.

She is the last of her guild, and the one whose soul has been most tempered with pain, suffering, and loneliness. She will be a delicious feast, and all he has to do is wait just a while longer.

But there she goes again, relighting the flame of her soul with her determination and bravery, and he has to wait longer still.

In front of her, the darkness seems to cower just a bit. She is a fragile container, but she shines with an inner light few can defeat.

Then out of the sky comes a roaring fireball, and lands where she is. A huge explosion, white-hot at the center, blows cobblestones and trees away.

In the residual smoke, he is not sure if she is alive anymore.

Then he sees her standing there, surrounded by a globe of water.

"Thank you, Aquarius."

Her celestial spirit, summoned in the nick of time, protected her from the explosion and provided a relatively painless wait to get her back on her feet. It also, he noted wryly, provided her with a change of clothes and a splint for her broken arm. The water-jug-bearing mermaid nods to her master and disappears with a glint of golden light.

"Why do you keep getting up, Lucy Heartfilia? Why not give up? The rest of them are all dead, anyways," the shadow whispers to her.

Her eyes become moist at the mention of her lost comrades, but the determination does not disappear. Rather, it strengthens, and her soul-light glows like a star.

She holds up the hand bearing the pink crest of Fairy Tail.

"I am a Fairy Tail mage, and I will not sully my memories of my dead comrades by giving up here and now. Natsu did not, Erza did not, Gray did not, even Happy held out. Therefore, it is my duty to finish what they could not!"

"Very well," the shadow replies. "I accept your challenge, but I'm afraid you only have a few hours left to live, pathetic human. Surrender to me, and you will become immortal. After all, you're the last one of your guild left."

Instead of replying immediately, her hands go to the ring of keys at her waist. She picks out one.

"You're wrong. I'm not the last. Open, Gate of the Lion, Leo!"

The sheer energy of summoning makes her light flicker unsteadily, but it shines brighter than ever when the familiar strength of her strongest spirit and fellow guild comrade return to her side.

"Welcome back, Loke."

Loke smiles at her. "I'll take care of this, Lucy. Just sit back and catch your breath."

The heated battle begins. It is talons versus arms, Regulus versus shadow breath, celestial spirit against dragon.

The dragon wins.

Loke is badly bruised and beaten, and he can only smile up at Lucy.

"I'm fine, Lucy, I really am. I can keep fighting."

She smiles back. They both know this may very well be the last time they see each other. "Thank you for being by my side for all these years."

"Thank you for being the best master I have ever known."

"Tell the others I said 'I'll be waiting for you on the other side', ne?"

"Lucy, please let me stay. I'll keep protecting you forever."

"Loke, forced gate closure. Goodbye."

"Lucy, no. No! You'll die without me!"

But he disappears, and in the spirit realm, eleven others gather round their injured leader and receive the news.

She is left to face down the dragon alone. And this dragon is hard to beat. Seventeen years ago, it was the one who would have destroyed Tenrou Island, had it not been for Fairy Sphere. Erza, Laxus, and Gildartz had died fighting it.

Acnologia hated life. He hated all living things with a passion, despite having been a human dragon slayer at one point. And he wanted to destroy, to set the world aflame.

As the black dragon's claws came down, Lucy closed her eyes.

Death licked his lips. Time to dig in.

And when Acnologia flew away, she was gone.

Lucy Heartfilia is dead.

Far away in the spirit realm, twelve spirits gathered to mourn the passing of the greatest and most compassionate celestial mage they knew.

But on Earth, no one shed a tear.

Everyone who could was long gone.

Fairy Tail was no more.

This was definitely not a good idea. Now I'm sad.