Hi everyone. I hope you like this new one shot!

"LUCY, LOOK OUT!"

Lucy listened to her partner and jumped out of the way from the oncoming attack. Team Natsu was taking a mission where they were supposed to take out a large group of bandits. The flyer made the job sound so easy, however, the team had no idea they would be so resilient. Erza, Gray, and Wendy had been separated from Lucy, Natsu and Happy while going after the bandit's leader. While Happy took count of all the bandits to make sure none had escaped, Lucy and Natsu were trying to take out the last one.

He wasn't like the other bandits in the group; this guy seemed even more powerful than the leader. He was a big, bulking man with a bunch of scars all over his body. He had a large sword attached to the hip and another one he was using to fight Natsu with. Lucy stood to the side; trying to regain the magic energy she had lost trying to round up the other criminals. Lucy's eyes widened when her dragon slayer partner was thrown into the wall, a sickening, and cracking sound coming from the impact.

"Natsu!" she yelled, gaining the attention of the brute, which had forgotten about her presence. The bandit began to stalk toward Lucy.

"L-Lucy, run," Natsu tried to call out. Natsu pulled himself from the wall only to face plant onto the floor. Lucy stumbled as she tried to get as much distance between her and the bandit as possible. Lucy pulled out one of her keys in a desperate act to stop him from getting any closer.

"Open, Gate of the Sea Goat, Capricorn!"

The goat spirit appeared in a puff of smoke, wasting no time attacking the man trying to harm his master. Summoning him took its toll on Lucy's body and she collapsed. Natsu saw this and began to panic. If she could no longer stand, how long would she be able to keep Capricorn's gate open? Natsu summoned all the energy he could possibly call upon and started sprinting toward his partner.

No sooner did the ugly brute defeat Capricorn, forcing him back into the spirit world. The man lumbered toward Lucy, drawing his sword from his sheath. Lucy watched in horror as the man stopped before her and raised his sword above his head. She clenched her eyes, praying for some miracle that could save her. As Natsu got closer, he raised his left arm out in hopes of grabbing her.

"LUCY!" he screamed as the bandit's sword came down.

FAIRY TAIL

"Did you hear that?" Gray questioned as he lifted the bandit's boss over his shoulder. Erza had just finished beating the guy when the small group had heard a blood curdling scream ring through the bandits' hideout. Wendy, Erza, and Gray turned in the direction of one of the corridors.

"Natsu and Lucy are in trouble," Erza yelled; dread beginning to take over. The three teammates started sprinting toward the sound. As they neared the corridors end, they could see Natsu, Lucy and Happy kneeling beside what looked like a very large bandit, however, they did not look in good spirits. Erza could see tears streaming down Lucy and Happy's faces. Lucy was trembling uncontrollably, whispering, "I'm sorry" over and over again. Natsu just sat in between them, breathing heavily. The group stopped just a few feet away from their nakama. All their eyes fell on the bandit in front of them. He was unconscious and covered in scorch marks.

"Dang Flame-Brain, don't you know when to hold back," Gray joked. Natsu did not answer him.

"I must congratulate you two though. He looked like a challenge," said Erza. The only response she got was Lucy's continual, "I'm sorry." Gray and Erza didn't know what to make of the situation. Suddenly, Wendy screamed. Gray and Erza turned to her to find her pointing at something. Their eyes followed her finger, gasping at what she saw.

Wendy was pointing at Natsu's arm, only it wasn't there. Natsu's left arm from his elbow down had been sliced clean off. Natsu clutched in pain, trying to control his breathing. Erza brought a hand to her mouth and Gray let the man on his shoulder fall to the floor below. Nobody knew what to say, the only sounds that could be heard were Lucy's trembling sobs.

"I'm sorry."

FAIRY TAIL

The entire guildhall was silent as they waited for the news on Natsu. Porlyusica hadn't let anyone in since she arrived and everyone was starting to get anxious. Team Natsu sat at the bar, praying their teammate would recover. Gray was leaning up against the counter, tapping his foot impatiently while Erza sat beside him, shifting the strawberry from her cake around with her fork. Lucy held her head in her hands, still traumatized by the events. Lucy jumped when she felt a soft hand on her shoulder. She turned around to find Mirajane offering her a sympathetic smile.

"Everything is going to be alright Lucy. Pretty soon, everything is going to go back to normal." Lucy smiled at her kind words, but in reality, it didn't make her feel any better, if anything it made the situation worse.

Because no matter what everyone else said, things weren't going to go back to normal. Natsu would never be the same after this and neither would Lucy. She couldn't help but blame herself for this. If she was just stronger, then she wouldn't have tired so easily and Natsu wouldn't have needed to save her like he always does. But Lucy wasn't strong enough, and now, Natsu was suffering because of her powerlessness.

It was all her fault.

Everyone in the guildhall heard the infirmary door creak open. All eyes turned to the pink haired woman who exited the room. She didn't give so much as a glance to anyone. Climbing down the stairs to the first floor, Porlyusica took a seat on one of the bar stools. People began to crowd her, blasting questions like no tomorrow. Porlyusica slammed her palm on the counter top, silencing everyone once again. She shot Mirajane a glare.

"I need water," She demanded. Mira wasted no time grabbing a glass and filling it. She handed it to the medicine woman who chugged it in one siting. She placed the glass on the counter after wiping some water off her lower lip. Everyone waited to hear the news on Natsu. Porlyusica turned to Team Natsu who were at the other end of the bar.

"You were lucky you got him to me in time. Any longer and he would have died from blood loss." All the members of the guild let out a sigh of relief.

"What about his arm?" Erza asked. All attention went back to Porlyusica, who just shook her head solemnly.

"The best I could do was give him a replacement. I had to give him a metal appendage, much like that Gildarts fellow's arm," she said while everyone in the room tensed. Porlyusica abruptly stood from her seat, eyeing all the people in the building.

"I have no idea how this will effect Natsu in the future, but understand that this isn't something to be taken lightly. Losing a limb can be very hard to cope with and it will take time for him to get used to," she glared at Gray and then to Gajeel and Elfman, "I expect you three to go easy on him for the next few weeks during your little brawls." Fearing the medicine woman's wrath, the three men shook their heads simultaneously. Having nothing more to say, Porlyusica took her leave of the guild.

Despite knowing their comrade was going to pull through, the atmosphere in the guild remained a somber one. Team Natsu sat at the bar, all heads hanging in shame and sadness. Happy snuggled into Lucy's chest, worried for his best friend. New tears began to form in Lucy's eyes as she thought about her partner and the damage she caused him.

FAIRY TAIL

Natsu scrunched his eyelids as the morning sun hit his face. He felt groggy and confused and a large pain was emanating from his left arm. Prying his eyes open, Natsu found himself in the guild's infirmary. Perplexed as to why he would be there, Natsu tried to sit up, however, the pain in his left arm increased as he used it to push himself up. It was then that Natsu realized that something was off about his arm. His gaze fell on the appendage only for him to suck in a breath of bewilderment.

From a little above his elbow down was a metal arm. It looked a lot like the one Gildarts had, only not as dull and scratched. Suddenly, the events that had transpired during his last mission came rushing back to him. He had tried to stop the bandit from killing Lucy, but in result, his arm had been cut off. Natsu lifted the arm up, trying to get a better look at it. He knew he should be frightened, maybe even horrified by the loss of his limb, however he didn't feel that way. If anything, he felt relief, relief knowing that despite what he lost, he was still able to save his partner.

Natsu's sensitive ears picked up the sound of a door opening and turned to the infirmary entrance. Mirajane was carrying a tray of what looked like eggs and bacon. When her eyes fell on the bed Natsu had been sleeping in, she had almost dropped the tray.

"N-Natsu, you're awake," she stuttered. Natsu said nothing as Mira rushed to his side. Placing the tray on the stand next to his bed, Mira threw her arms around him, small tears pricking her eyes.

"Everyone was so worried about you! You've been asleep for a whole week! Lucy won't stop blaming herself," Natsu's eyes fell slightly at that last part. He never intended on making Lucy worry. She meant so much to him, and he didn't want to see her upset. Mira pulled away, eyes falling on his new arm.

"How's the…" Mira pointed to the metal replacement, worried if she said anymore, she would cause negative emotions to arise in Natsu. Said man raised his arm, moving his metallic fingers around. Getting the hang of this new sensation, Natsu created a peace sign with his new hand.

"I'm good." Mira was startled by the overall calmness of her friend. If she were to lose one of her arms or legs, she would feel traumatized, however, Natsu was acting as though he had never lost it in the first place. This was not what Porlyusica said to expect.

"Oh, o-okay then," Mira stood, "I'm going to go grab your cloths. Is there anything else you need?" Natsu was about to say no when his eyes landed on his new arm. It was true that it didn't bother him too much, but what would Lucy think if she saw it? Mira said she was tearing herself up about it, could seeing it only make matters worse?

"Mira?"

"Yes?"

"Can you get me, a glove, or something?" he asked nervously. Mira just nodded, understanding his choice. With that, Mirajane left the room to fetch Natsu's stuff. Natsu lifted his arm once again, despite the pain flaring through it. He thought about the mission and how it could have ended if he hadn't jumped in front of the blade.

Lucy could be in this bed and not me. Lucy could be… Natsu shook his head in anger. He would never let anything happen to Lucy. That's why he jumped in front of the sword in the first place, to protect her, and he would protect her until the end of his days.

The door creaked open as Mirajane walked in, Natsu's waste coat, pants, and scarf in her arms. When she set them on the bed, he noticed another object on the pile.

A single black glove.

Natsu removed his covers and put his feet on the floor. Mira closed her eyes as Natsu put on his cloths. His arm felt sore as he slipped his sleeve over it, but he couldn't let it bother him. If Lucy saw him in pain, she would only continue to hate herself. Now all that remained was the single black glove. He picked it up, rubbing the material with his new hand. He couldn't feel it's texture and it kind of bothered him. He looked at Mira off to the side. Her blue eyes were no longer closed, but gazing at him sadly. Natsu's eyes fell back on the piece of cloth. He took a deep breath, eyebrows furrowed.

For Lucy.

With that, he slipped the glove on.

FAIRY TAIL

Lucy sat at the bar sadly, a strawberry smoothie in her hands. She had ordered it in hopes that it would make her feel better, but she was starting to think it was a waste of money.

She glanced up at the infirmary door, hoping that her pink haired partner would walk through it, but just like the last week, it remained closed. She tried to visit him over the time span, but she couldn't bring herself to enter. Thinking about his metal arm made Lucy want to throw up. She blamed herself for Natsu's injury and the man might never be the same now. She tightened her grip on her glass cup, the guilt returning, however, it all disappeared after Happy's voice yelled through the guildhall.

"NATSU!"

Everyone in the guildhall turned to the infirmary. Standing at the top of the stairs stood Natsu and Mirajane. Natsu smiled his famous grin, acting as if nothing was different.

"What's up everyone?"

It only took a matter of seconds for everyone in the guildhall to swarm to the bottom of the stairs. Natsu hopped on the banister and slid down happily. Everyone made room for him to land. When he was on ground level, people started bombarding him.

"You gave us quite a scare Flame Brain."

"I should have been there to help you Natsu. Punish me if you will!"

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you Natsu-san!"

"Natsu~ I was so worried about you!" Happy yelled, hugging him. Natsu smiled, wrapping his arm around his friend.

"Sorry Happy, I didn't mean to scare you. Any of you," said Natsu, looking out into the guild. He spotted a head of blonde hair in the back. He let go of Happy and made his way to where Lucy was standing. Everyone cleared a path for him as he neared his partner. She was staring at the floor sadly, trying her best to avoid his gaze. He stopped about a foot in front of her, the tips of his toes in her line of vision.

"I'm glad you're safe, Luce," he whispered. Lucy felt like crying. She didn't deserve his kindness. It's because of her he was injured. Lucy gasped as Natsu brought Lucy into a hug, his left hand on her shoulder. She could tell because it was stiffer than his hands usually were and it felt like it had fabric on it, a glove maybe.

"Next time, try not to push yourself. You lose magic faster." Natsu pulled away, flashing her his perfect smile. Lucy sniffled, trying to smile at least for him. He placed his hands firmly on his side. Lucy's eyes drifted to his left arm. It was the arm usually covered with one sleeve, but this time, she could see a black glove covering what little skin would normally be shown.

"Now I don't know about you guys, but I'm in the mood for a good party!" Natsu cheered. The rest of the guild erupted in laughter. Everyone started celebrating Natsu's recovery.

Halfway into the celebration, Natsu was talking with Lisanna when he noticed Lucy from the corner of his eye. He followed her gaze to his gloved hand and his face dropped. He could tell it was bothering her, heck she wasn't the only one. Everyone in the guild had glanced at it at lease once, but Lucy was full on staring at it. It was like she wanted to feel guilty.

Having enough of this, Natsu excused himself from Lisanna and walked toward the only person who could help him.

Gray.

Gray didn't notice him and he was thankful. As he passed by Cana's table, he grabbed the mug in her hands, despite her angry protests. When he was close enough to Gray, he dumped the drink on his head.

The entire guildhall grew silent, all eyes on Natsu. Many people started worrying. Gray's face distorted into a hideous grimace, but disappeared as soon as he saw that it was Natsu who poured it on him.

Great, even Ice Princess pities me.

Natsu threw the mug on the floor carelessly, "Gray, fight me!" he said in all seriousness. If everyone was going to believe he was all right, then he was going to have to show them.

Gray glanced at Erza who was at the bar. The redhead shook her head; worried that Natsu would hurt himself. Gray had to agree with her, as much as he wanted to punch Natsu in his ugly face, Natsu was in no condition to fight.

"Natsu, I'm not going to fight you."

"Why? Too scared you'll lose?" Natsu taunted.

"Natsu we both know why I won't fight you."

"Yeah, because I'm the stronger mage and you're just an ice pansy who doesn't want to bruise."

Gray gritted his teeth, finding it even harder to ignore him, "Natsu, NO!"

Natsu backed away, slightly offended. This was Gray Fullbuster, the man who would never back down from a fight,especially with him, and now just because Natsu was injured, he thought he would hurt him. How weak did his guild thing he was?

"Fine." Natsu said, shrugging. Gray went back to his conversation when all of a sudden, a fist made contact with his jaw and sent him flying halfway across the room. Gray stood up, glaring at the pink haired idiot who punched him. Natsu made a "come at me" motion with his hands and despite knowing it was wrong, Gray charged at him.

The two friends swung at each other, everyone cheering them on. Gray noticed during their fight that Natsu kept looking at a certain Celestial Spirit Mage. Gray smiled despite himself.

So that's what this is all about. Okay Flame Brain, I'll help you out.

"Hey Gajeel!" Gray suddenly called out, disturbing the Iron Dragon Slayer from his snack, "are you going to join or sit off to the side like a wimp?"

Gajeel growled at him, but then noticed his eyes were flying between him and Lucy. Gajeel smirked, catching on.

"I'll show you, Gihi," discarding his snack, Gajeel jumped into the brawl. Not long after did Elfman, Cana, and even Loke jump in. Natsu smiled at all the looks they were giving him as they punched each other. This is what he loved about his family. No matter how small the task, they were always there to lend a hand.

FAIRY TAIL

"Natsu!" Erza called out from the Request Board. Natsu and Lucy stopped their conversation, turning their undivided attention to Titania.

"I picked out a mission. What do you say we pull the team together and head out," she said smiling. It had been about two weeks since Natsu woke up but despite his enthusiasm, Erza refused to let him go on a mission just yet. Instead, she and a few other members of the guild helped him pay for food and any other possible living expenses. Natsu's face spread into a large smile. He quickly jumped from his seat, pumping a fist in the air.

"Finally some action! I'm all fired up!"

"Aye, Sir!" Happy called beside him. Gray, Erza, Wendy and Carla walked over to Natsu and Lucy's table, all smiling at the blonde woman. Natsu held his gloved hand out to her.

"Come on Luce!"

Lucy eyed it uncomfortably. She noticed over the last few weeks that Natsu had been trying to show her that everything was okay and that his arm was fine. He would brawl, lift heavy loads, he beat Elfman in an arm wrestling contest once, and although she knew for a fact that he was better, the guilt of hurting him still lingered. Hesitantly, she placed her small hand in his gloved one. He yanked her to her feet and the group of friends started making their way out of the guild.

Natsu tightened his grip around Lucy's hand. It felt firm in her own and without feeling. She knew she would get used to that, but that's not what bothered her the most.

The warmth, it wasn't there anymore.

FAIRY TAIL

Lucy jumped to the side when a large tail came crashing down where she once stood. The mission on the flier was to defeat a wyvern that was terrorizing the countryside. The beast was very annoying; not really taking any damage from the group's attacks. Lucy pulled out another key as her friends fought valiantly.

"Open, Gate of the Lion, Loke!

In a burst of light, Loke appeared and started attacking the beast as it hovered above the ground. Lucy watched helplessly as her friends tried to defeat it, but she watched Natsu the most. He had plenty of magic energy left, but he had taken quite a beating when the beast threw him into the side of a cliff. She worried that his injuries would get more severe if he continued to push himself. Suddenly, the wyvern landed, shaking the earth around it. Lucy fell down ungracefully, dropping her key ring in the process. She made a move toward her keys when she noticed the wyvern's head shooting at her.

"Lucy-san!" Wendy called out desperately. Lucy froze in terror. Images of her last mission ran through her mind. The wyvern opened its large mouth, ready to tare Lucy limb from limb. Lucy closed her eyes, bracing for impact, however it never came, just the sound of teeth crunching into metal.

Lucy looked up to find Natsu shielding her. The wyvern was biting into his left arm. Natsu yelled, throwing his arm and releasing the wyvern's grip on him. The fabric of his sleeve tore, revealing the shiny metal of his replacement arm. Everyone stared at it in awe. Nobody had the chance to get a look at it because his sleeve and glove always covered it, but seeing it now was a sight to behold. Lucy couldn't take her eyes off of it.

"Don't you dare TOUCH LUCY!" he yelled, his body bursting into flames. If this brute wanted to hurt his comrade, then he would have to get through him. He channeled as much energy as he could into his hands. Putting them up above his head, he directed his attack toward the beast that tried to hurt Lucy. His Lucy.

"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"

The wyvern's eyes grew at the sight of the large flaming ball as it collided with it. It screamed in agony while it's thick skin burned. The rest of Team Natsu shielded their eyes, blinded by the intensity of their comrade's flames. Slowly, the light died down, leaving the roasted body of the beast. All eyes fell on the pink haired Dragon Slayer. He was panting heavily, clutching his metal arm. Lucy found herself drawn to it, but not in a good way. All it did was remind her of the pain she inflicted on her friend.

The pain she could never take back.

FAIRY TAIL

"Ouch! Careful Luce."

"I should be careful? It's you who should be careful," Lucy said, lowering her friend onto her bed. After completing their mission, Lucy decided to take Natsu to her home to patch him up. He received quite a bit of damage against the wyvern and it only seemed right that she helped him dress his wounds.

After helping him onto the bed, Lucy walked into her bathroom to fetch her first aid kit. She grabbed it from its resting spot and went back into her bedroom. Natsu watched her every movement as she neared the bed. She raised an eyebrow quizzically at him.

"Everything all right?" She asked. He pointed at her kneecap. She glanced down at it and saw that it was scratched and bleeding. She had been so worried about helping Natsu, she completely forgot about the pain in her knee, now that she remembered that it was there, the pain began to grow noticeable.

"It's fine Natsu, your injuries are more important right now," she said, sitting to the left of him. She did quick work wrapping up his forehead and helping him with his right arm. Lucy blushed slightly, facing away from her partner.

"Natsu, can you um, t-take off the coat? I need to check for any chest injuries." Lucy wasn't the only one slightly uncomfortable; Natsu began to grow nervous about taking off the coat, not because he was shy, but because she would see the arm. She saw part of it when he protected her from the wyvern, but now only the tatters of his coat sleeve kept it out of her sight.

Hesitantly, Natsu started taking off his coat. From the corner of her eye, Lucy could see the shiny metal of his arm. It looked so beautiful under the moonlight coming from her window, but all she could do stare at it in pain.

She did this to him. She cost him his arm.

She cost him the warmth of his hand.

Lucy was startled when Natsu rubbed a finger just below her eye. She felt a warm, wet substance on the spot he just wiped.

Tears?

"Why are you crying?" he asked, watching her sadly. Lucy hadn't even been aware that she was crying. All the negative feelings must have finally reached their limit. Trembling slightly, Lucy reached her arm out and took Natsu's metal hand in hers. He stiffened, but his grip relaxed. Just like before, his hand was hard and cold, not a bit of warmth left.

"How can you be so happy?" she whispered, "How can you act as though noting has changed?" Lucy's eyes met Natsu's seeing the hurt within his own.

"I did this to you. I cost you something so important, and yet you pretend like nothing happened, like everything is the same."

"Because everything is the same Luce," Natsu said, rubbing his cold thumb over Lucy's hand, "Nothing has changed."

"Everything has changed!" Lucy lashed out, startling the boy, but he didn't release her hand. "Stop acting like nothing is different, that you didn't just lose your arm! Get mad! Get furious! Let your anger consume you! I want you to hate me!"

The room was enveloped in silence. Natsu stood at Lucy unbelieving. Lucy lowered her head, her bangs covering her eyes. Her grip on his hand tightened.

"This is all my fault. I did this to you. I took something from you, and not even the warmth of your hand is left. It's killing me inside that you aren't hating me." Lucy raised her head shakily, "Why can't you hate me-"

Natsu didn't let Lucy finish her sentence as he crashed his lips into hers. Lucy sucked in a breath, eyes widening. It wasn't anything like she thought her first kiss would be, but she could still feel the sparks that her romance books described. She was about to respond when Natsu pulled away, eyes firm with resolve.

"How can I hate you, when I'm in love with you?"

"Wha," was all Lucy could muster out. Natsu took his free hand and caressed her cheek, a tender smile on his face.

"I never blamed you Lucy, do you know why?" Lucy was too shocked to respond, so Natsu continued.

"I never blamed you because I made a promise to myself a long time ago, that I would always protect you. This arm," he said, lifting his elbow, "was a small price to pay, because losing this arm meant preserving the love of my life. I would die if it meant saving yours."

Lucy was left speechless. She never believed Natsu could be so deep. Natsu pulled Lucy closer, resting his forehead against hers.

"I could never blame you. It was my own choice to jump in front of that blade, and I would do it all over again if your life would be spared."

Lucy sniffled, "You mean that?"

"All of it," he whispered, pulling away from her, staring at her with pure love, "Every word."

"Even the part… the part that you love me?" she asked, blushing slightly.

"Even that part. I love you Lucy." Lucy let out a breathy laugh, Natsu following suit.

"I-I love you too, Natsu," said Lucy. No longer feeling the need to hold back, Natsu enveloped Lucy in his arms, kissing her lightly on the lips. Lucy responded happily, placing her arms on his shoulders. The two teammates sat there on Lucy's bed, forgetting all about the injuries they sustained or the fears they had. Instead, they sat there, simply loving each other.

FAIRY TAIL

"Natsu, Lucy!"

The two teammates turned to the red haired mage walking to their table. They smiled happily at her as she placed a mission request on the tabletop.

"I just found the perfect mission for us. If we leave now, we could have it finished by tomorrow. Are you in?" Natsu turned to his partner, or girlfriend now, smiling his famous fanged grin.

"I'm willing to go if you are."

Lucy giggled, "Sure, it'll be fun."

"Well then," the Dragon Slayer stood from his seat, holding his metal hand out to Lucy. His black glove was no longer covering his appendage, "shall we?"

"We shall," she said, gently placing her hand in his. He curled his fingers around hers as she did his. His hand was still hard, still shiny, and still as unsettling as before, however this time Lucy could feel it. It wasn't much, but it was noticeable, and there was no doubt in her mind that it would only grow.

The warmth of his hand.

I plan on writing two new stories. One is a spy story called "Dodging Bullets" and the other is a Lord of The Rings parody because I really want to do one. I'll probably switch between them every once in a while. Until next time.