*Rises from the ashes of the leftover ruins that once was this happy story*

I'M ALIVEEE~!

Wow! How are you guys?! It's been a while! Way too long, in fact. Sooo...are you ready for an unexpected dose of heartbreak today? SURPRISE!

*brushes off cobwebs, cracking every joint in my fingers before picking up a feathered quill, laughing evilly all the while*

Wow, it feels good to be writing again! Ahh, what can I say? I guess life has had me in a pretty big rut lately T^T I haven't written anything in months. I'm so sorry! I feel like I've been letting people down, but nothing is as bad as letting myself down, which I am trying not to do any longer!

Anyways, helloooo again! Happy belated Halloween, Thanksgiving, Holidays, and New Year! Sheesh, it's been awhile!

Anddd now let's get right on to it, shall we?

Muahahahahaaa!

Seconds ticked by at an alarmingly slow speed, each one passing with a painful thrum in Natsu's temples. How was time even moving on? Shouldn't the entire world have frozen right along with him? Yet the seconds slowly crept on, until his head was filled with an endless ringing. It grew louder and louder as he held Lucy's limp body in his arms, deafening him to the point where the world around them faded away. Nothing else existed, nothing but the girl who was no longer moving and that damned ringing that wouldn't stop increasing. His head pounded, his heart throbbed, his breathing hitched, faltered, choked out of him until he felt like he wasn't even breathing at all.

And then there was nothing.

Dead silence.

And in that moment, that excruciating, silent moment, Natsu snapped back to reality.

"No." Came the first wave of refusal. "No."

Was that his voice? Normally he would never have assumed so, but there was no one else's it could have been. And why should it even surprise him that the cracked, raspy voice of a completely broken man belonged to him?

Gently, oh, so gently, he lowered Lucy's body to the ground. Suddenly she looked so fragile, as if she'd break into pieces if he moved her too much. But what did it matter now if she broke? The ultimate damage had already been done.

"NO!" Natsu growled, the second wave of denial threw caution to the wind and gentleness right out along with it. Being gentle wasn't going to bring her back. And Natsu was definitely going to bring her back, no matter the cost.

You can't bring the dead back to life, the nasty voice in the back of his mind whispered.

"Watch me." He snarled.

His hands clumsily clapped together, instinct taking over as he placed his palms flat on her chest and firmly pressed down. He repeated the motion, over and over, pumping blood through Lucy's body when she no longer could.

"Come on, Lucy," he begged while staring directly at her eyes, waiting for them to open again. "Come back to me." His voice cracked at the end and suddenly her face grew blurry.

No, he didn't want that. He wanted to see her! He couldn't lose sight of her now. So why couldn't he see?

Soon he realized that if he blinked, there was a moment of clearness before the cloudy moisture blocked his view once more. In those brief seconds, everything was so vivid. Her silky, golden hair splayed out in all directions beneath her. Blink. Her creamy skin that had always looked so soft. Blink. Her long eyelashes that decorated closed lids. Why had he never noticed how long her eyelashes were? And why were her eyes not opening?

Dammit. Wasn't he supposed to be keeping count of the compressions? How many times had he pumped already?

"Shit," he cursed as his hands slipped to the side. Why couldn't he fucking see?

He quickly swiped the back of his hands across his eyes before returning to their position above Lucy's heart. Of course once he saw the glistening sheen of his hands, he knew instantly why he couldn't see.

The tears...

And now that he remembered them, their numbers multiplied. Any hope he had of seeing what he was doing now was immediately dashed. Why? Why was he crying? Lucy was going to be fine. This wasn't real. It couldn't be. So just stop already. Stop crying. It's not real. It's not real. It's not real.

If it's not real, then why are you still giving compressions?

"Stop it!" He shouted into nothing, frantically pumping Lucy's chest faster in desperation. Salty tear drops rained down on Lucy, showering her in Natsu's heartbreak. "Come on, Lucy. Breathe, God dammit!"

Breathe.

Natsu's hands stopped. Shit. She wasn't breathing. He was an idiot. And he was only doing half of CPR.

With shaky hands, Natsu pinched Lucy's nose, leaning down and hastily smashing his lips onto hers. His eyes squeezed tightly shut as he breathed into Lucy's lungs, trying his hardest to ignore the fact that her lips seemed cold. That was impossible, right? Not enough time had passed for her body to grow cold…right?

Natsu breathed into her until his lungs burned. He lifted his mouth to gulp in some air before clashing their lips together once more. God, how he had imagined this moment. In so many different ways; not all of them exactly the purest either. But this…this was darker than any he could have ever imagined. It was the worlds cruelest joke that their first kiss turned out this way, moments after Lucy had confessed her love to him.

Natsu's heart constricted painfully as he poured more of his air into her body. Lucy loved him…Lucy Heartfilia, a woman of so many wonders, loved him. And what had he done to deserve it? He let her down, over and over and over again, always appearing a second too late. And this time it had cost her her life.

NO!

Natsu took another deep breath. How many times was he supposed to breathe into her? Two? Three? Shit! He didn't know…

He was growing more and more unstable as his mind spiraled into darker places.

He continued pumping her chest. He couldn't stop. He had to keep her heart beating. He had to do something right by Lucy.

Even though he messed everything else up.

But he wouldn't mess this up! He could save her.

But that would be impossible, right? How could he save her? What, did he think he was a God?

Though, CPR brings people back all the time. It did, and he would. He had to.

But could he?

Sobs escaped through Natsu's sore throat, his mental composure finally snapping. He'd lost sense of himself, his thoughts, his timing, his pressure on Lucy's chest, everything.

It was all slipping away from him, just like Lucy did.

And he was probably never going to be able to gain any of it back…

OoOoOoO

Peace.

Endless, tranquil peace.

That was all there was. As it always has been. And as it always shall be.

.

.

.

But could there have ever been more?

If such a word as 'peace' exists, then is there a word to counter it? Is there something out there beyond 'peace'?

Does it even matter? Serenity should be basked in, not questioned. Peace exists. And peace is here.

.

.

.

But…where is here?

"Child, why do you not rest?"

Child? What is a child?

"You are."

You…no…me. I am?

"You are."

…

.

.

.

Who am I?

"Do you need a name?"

I...don't understand.

"Would you like one?"

…yes.

"Very well. You are Lucy. Lucy Heartfilia."

Of course. How had she forgotten? She knew she was Lucy. She knew it with every fiber of her soul. She could even recall exactly what she looked like, and how she sounded. And she knew there was even more.

So Lucy opened her eyes.

Wow.

She'd never seen a sky so clear and blue. In fact, she wasn't even sure if she'd ever seen a sky before, or how she even knew what it was called for that matter. Moments ago, there was nothing. Nothing but peace. And now…now there was air, and sky, and wind on her skin. Ha! Now she had skin! And a body. And a name.

Was this all of the wonder that a name could hold?

A rush of excitement flourished within Lucy's chest. Her fingers flexed out and she discovered soft as a feather strands of…something beneath her. Before she could further question what that something could be, her memory provided her with the word; grass.

Finally, she sat up with ease, taking in her surroundings completely for the first time. She appeared to be in a field endlessly rolling with tall tendrils of golden grass. The sight was beautiful. Beautiful beyond compare and peaceful to no measure.

She felt her lips pull into what she knew was a smile. She remembered smiling, remembered how it felt to do so. Therefore she knew without a doubt that she was smiling now. But…how did she remember something when before that instant there had been nothing?

Her smile faltered as the questions began to build up once more.

"What troubles you, young one?"

Lucy glanced around, though she knew there would be no one else in sight. Somehow it didn't disturb her that this voice had no body attached to it. She only felt warmth toward the presence speaking to her.

"I wouldn't say that I'm troubled," Lucy responded, hearing her voice out loud for the first time despite knowing already what it would sound like. Her head tilted as she contemplated the odd sensation of speaking. "More like curious…or confused."

"Ask your questions, Lucy."

Blinking, Lucy considered this request for merely the briefest of time.

Then she let them all out.

"Where are we? How are we here? There wasn't anything like this, and then all of sudden there was, and now I'm here too. How did it happen? And how do I even know the words to describe this place when I've never seen it? How do I remember? What even is 'remembering'? Who am I? Who is 'Lucy'?" Lucy trailed on, rattling out question after question.

She would have continued doing so if the invisible presence hadn't begun to laugh. It was a rich, inviting sound, and it momentarily distracted Lucy.

"Oh, child, you never did hold anything back." It chuckled. "Not in your previous life, and not in the next."

Lucy's mouth popped open to ask some more questions, but she didn't get the chance.

"This place never exists, not at first. For some, the peacefulness of 'nothing' is preferred. And so they all start out that way, like you did. However, for the others that yearn 'more', they come here."

"But where-"

"Here has many names. Some call it nirvana. Some may say heaven, or paradise, the promised land. To put it simply, here is 'after'. After your previous life ended, you came here. As do most others. Like I said, some prefer simply nothing. Just peace. But most come here."

"My previous…life?" Lucy scratched her head. "So what you're saying is…I'm dead?"

"In one meaning of the word, yes. Your body on another plane has reached its natural limit, thus freeing your soul to ascend to its next plane of existence. You could not be here otherwise."

For the first time since awakening, Lucy felt a strange new emotion. One that twisted her gut in the most unpleasant of ways. "I died…" She had no idea what her past life was like, not even the slightest memory of it. But for some reason, she couldn't shake this feeling of…regret.

OoOoOoO

The next thing Natsu was aware of was falling. Not just the metaphorical endless fall into darkness that had been plaguing his mind for the past few minutes. No, this time he was literally falling.

The shock of landing flat on his back without warning knocked the breath out of him for only a second before he was back on his knees, crawling towards Lucy's motionless body. Except now there was another body leaning over her...

"NO!" He roared, grief clouding his judgement and awareness. "Stay away! Don't touch her!"

His eyes were glued only to her face as he rushed over, therefore he was blind to the hands that threw him away from her for the second time.

"Natsu!" Someone called, but he didn't listen. He couldn't. Not when they were about to tell him to stop. Not when they were about to tell him it was too late. Not when they were about to take her away from him forever.

He couldn't. No. He wasn't ready. He couldn't let it happen.

"Natsu, listen to me!"

The dragon slayer was beyond listening. He reached Lucy's side in an instant, reaching over her to position his hands over her chest once more. Only then did he finally stop.

Because there were already hands there. Up and down they went, beating a heart that had long since stopped.

"W-What…" He murmured. His eyes slowly traced up the hands, traveling up their arms and shoulders until he finally reached the face that the hands belonged to. Natsu had to blink tears out of his eyes a couple of times before recognition finally dawned.

"Jellal." He addressed slowly. "What are you…" His voice trailed off when his eyes slid down to Lucy once more and fresh tears blurred his vision. "I have to keep…I have to help…"

"No, Natsu." Jellal stated firmly, his hands never faltering or wavering during compressions. "I'm sorry I threw you back before, but I was calling your name over and over again. You couldn't hear me. And you were getting clumsy with your hands. It wasn't good for her."

No longer able to keep himself upright, Natsu fell back roughly. "Jellal…she…she…" He couldn't bring himself to say the words. No way. It was impossible.

"Natsu, I have to give her mouth-to-mouth." Jellal stated.

It was beyond asking for permission, he knew, but the fire mage could still hear the guilt in his friend's voice. He nodded numbly, although Jellal was already leaning down toward Lucy nonetheless. Natsu would have been truly angry if Jellal had hesitated helping Lucy on his behalf anyway.

Of course, right now he was probably too hopeless to feel any emotion other than despair.

"I found a communications lacryma in the manor and phoned Makarov." Jellal informed Natsu once he had risen. "He's going to find Mest, Natsu. And they're going to bring Porlyusica and Wendy right away. They're coming." He went on, all the while dutifully staying focused on Lucy.

It's too late…

That nasty voice again…Natsu wished it would leave him alone. He pulled his knees up to his chest in defeat as fresh waves of sorrow coursed through him.

"I won't stop, okay?" Jellal continued.

It's too late.

"I promise you I won't stop."

It's too late!

NO!

Natsu's eyes narrowed. He couldn't give up hope, not yet, not now. What would Lucy think if he just accepted her fate so easily? He may not be in the right mind to give medical treatment, but he sure as hell wasn't letting go without a fight.

Forcing down that wicked voice in the back of his mind, Natsu crawled back over to the pair in front of him. He reached for Lucy, but this time for her hand rather than the place above her heart. He intertwined their fingers and none too gently squeezed her small hand in his. He then brought it to his lips where he placed a tender, yet searing kiss on her skin.

"C'mon, Lucy." His voice cracked over her name, but he pushed on. "You haven't even seen half of the things I wanna show you yet. Or heard the things I want to say…" Natsu stifled a sob before continuing. "You always jump ahead without looking, and dammit, it pisses me off, ya know. But I also love that…about you. And so many other things. Things I never got the chance to tell ya that I love..." Natsu paused to wrap his other hand around their already intertwined ones. "Loving you, Luce, is an adventure. One that hasn't even had the chance to begin yet. And I promise you won't have to jump ahead on your own anymore. I'll jump too. I won't let go of this hand. So you just have to come back, okay?" He squeezed her hand, hoping he was spreading some warmth over her. "Come back…Lucy."

OoOoOoO

"Yes, you died, as does every living thing."

Lucy gazed out into the rolling hills. The fields of gold swayed with the breeze, carrying wisps of her hair to dance with the wind every so often. She supposed it wasn't so bad. The bliss of this existence was nice. And it was absolutely gorgeous everywhere she looked. And yet…she couldn't shake the feeling that she was missing something.

"But you, Lucy Heartfilia, are not like every living thing."

Her head jerked up. Where there had been nothing beside her moments ago was now beginning to glow with a brilliant white light materializing from no where. And within it, the voice she'd been communicating with continued on.

"The thing that makes you stand out, child, is that you are being given a choice. A choice that no one has ever been given. And one that you will never be given again."

Lucy stared into the light, mesmerized by it's chaotic beauty.

"You can have this life, Lucy. An eternity of peace. Of serenity and bliss. And eventually, your loved ones from before will join you here. You don't remember them now, but you will the moment they arrive. You can await for them while living in perfect harmony with this plane."

Lucy was filled with warmth and excitement at the thought. It sounded wonderful. Perfect. And yet…

"Or you can enter the world of the living once more. I can offer you my power, but only in this moment alone. It will be your last chance. There will be no more going back after this, I cannot give you this offer again. But I must warn you…should you choose to return, it will be tragic. Pain beyond what your imagination at this time is capable of conjuring. Sorrows you couldn't even dream of. That is the curse of the living."

Suddenly, Lucy felt it. A glimpse of it all, as if the being before her was giving her a warning. Pain. Head to toe covered in excruciating agony. Sadness. Heart wrenching despair that stole the very breath from her lungs. Anger. White hot and furious, blinding her with rage. It all surged within her, swirling together, driving her mad.

A moment later it was gone, leaving Lucy gasping for air.

After she caught her breath she shook her head, though for some reason her eyes have yet to sway from the light before her, even after all that it made her feel. "But…why? Why would anyone want that? Why even give me the option?"

There was silence for only a few seconds before the light spoke to her again.

"Because you have much left to do, child. And…life as a human is not all bad. There is more. There is always more."

Lucy's gaze finally tore away from the light, but only to glance down at her hand. She stared at it curiously, flipping it over to examine her palm. She found nothing out of the usual, but still…it felt as if someone was holding it. She felt the warmth of someone else's skin connected to hers, felt the fingers intertwined with her own. And yet nothing was there. How peculiar…

And then she heard it. A voice that felt absolutely familiar and yet completely unknown all at the same time. A voice she yearned to hear more of, and the desire to do so filled her entire body, dangerously enticing her to risk everything that the light had just warned her about.

That was the desire of a human being.

"Come back…Lucy."

Tears pricked at Lucy's eyes until they were steadily streaming down her face. She lifted her chin with a solid determination, staring directly into the glowing ambience again. "Please. Lend me your power. Take me back."

The light pulsated once. "Very well."

And then it enveloped her, embracing her in its luminescence.

OoOoOoO

"Dammit." Natsu growled. "What is taking them so long."

Surely Mest should have been there by now. Natsu was barely holding on to his sanity here, much less onto Lucy's hand.

How long had it been? Mere minutes felt like an eternity to Natsu. An eternity of pure agony. How much longer did they have? Was there a limit to how long a body could take CPR before actually resuscitating? Natsu didn't know the answers to any of these questions, but he knew one thing for sure…the longer it took, the more unlikely it was that she was going to come back.

"Ah!" Jellal gasped in pain, his hands flying away from Lucy's body.

"What are you doing?!" Natsu screamed, releasing Lucy's hand and moving to replace Jellal's immediately. "You said you wouldn't stop!"

"Natsu, wait!"

"LIKE HELL!" He roared, pressing his palms down on Lucy's chest to continue resuscitations. He gasped when he felt it, the same sensation that had caused Jellal to cry out. It was like he'd been zapped by a strong electrical current, one that was coursing through Lucy's body. But there was no way he'd let that stop him.

Something was happening. He didn't know what, but it was something. And that was enough to relight the hope that had been reduced to mere smolders in his heart.

Jellal gazed at Natsu with amazement, surprised he was able to keep touching Lucy knowing the shock he himself had received. But soon his attention was back on the blonde. His eyes widened as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.

"Natsu. Lucy, she's…she's glowing."

Sure enough, Lucy was in fact beginning to glow. Natsu hadn't even noticed it at first, seeing as he was focused solely on making sure his pumps were even and he was keeping count. But now, his eyes were raking up and down Lucy's entire body, which had taken on a luminescent hue. Not just outside her body, but inside too. Bright white light was pulsing through her veins, glowing bright enough to be seen through her skin. And it was moving.

The light seemed to be relocating through her body, all surging toward the same destination; the center of Lucy's chest. Her heart. The more the light retreated into Lucy's heart, the brighter it became. And the brighter the light grew, the harder it was for Natsu to continue pressing down. When her chest was glowing with a blinding brilliance and all of the light had retreated into one location, Natsu was hit with an electrical shock so powerful he was sent flying backwards.

"No!" He yelled in desperation, jumping to his feet the second he landed. However, before he could reach Lucy, Jellal wrapped his arms around Natsu, stopping him in his tracks. "Let go of me!"

"Natsu!Watch!" Jellal matched his tone. "This is magic. Powerful magic. And it's doing more good for her than you and I ever could."

Now that he mentioned it…Natsu could feel it. The magic filled the entire room, possibly even the entire manor. It was incredible, unlike anything he'd ever felt before. And it was slowly spiraling into Lucy's body, centering around her heart. Her heart that they were no longer pumping.

He jerked in Jellal's hands, attempting to run toward her. "I don't care. Right now, she's-"

The light flared suddenly and Lucy's back arched upward off the ground as if she'd been struck by a defibrillator.

"Lucy!"

By the time she was flat on the ground again the light had faded completely into her body.

Natsu broke free from Jellal's grasp and barreled straight toward the girl on the ground. But he didn't make it to her. No, he was struck completely motionless by the very next sound that reached his ears.

The most precious sound he'd ever heard.

B-dmp, b-dmp, b-dmp.

Natsu collapsed to his knees. He didn't care anymore, he simply couldn't hold it back any longer. He let loose all of the emotion he'd been holding back. He let his tears run free, and the terrible sobs to rake through his chest, his cries tearing loudly through his vocal chords with each wave of emotion. Because nothing had ever made him want to cry out in relief more than the sound of Lucy's heart beating once again.

Oh, the agony! Sweet, sweet suffering and turmoil. Muahaha!

Actually, I take it all back, that was super hard to write! My poor Natsu, gah, I hated to write him in pain! But could you imagine what he was going through? I tried really hard to put all of us into the mind of someone suffering great loss and grief and not knowing how to handle it.

Hopefully it was portrayed alright! Ya know, aside from the gut-wrenching sadness we all felt when we couldn't actually throw our arms around Natsu and give him a big 'ol bear hug!

Fin-Fish Jun-Tenshi: Ahhh! Is your heart okay?! After so many blows, you could end up like Lucy, you know! T^T But alas, all is well and good! For now...hehehe. Ah! I'm so glad you mentioned Juvia and Gray's fighting dymanic! I LOVED writing that scene! And Jellal finding Erza! Ahhh, it's been so long since writing, I forgot some of it and had to go back and read! You highlighted all of my favorte parts! Hehe, so many blows, but oh so worth it! I think? Haha, thank you for reading! And reviewing!:D I hope your heart is on the mend! I have many goods in store :3

peacerockgirl123: *Moves toward the lump in the corner, gently patting the shoulder of the crying human* There, there. *sniff* You definitely weren't alone in your tears! Gah, writing it was SO hard! A real challenge that took a lot out of me. OH MY GOSH! Wow! Thank you for sharing that story with me about reading the chapter at school! That actually made me REALLY happy! I know that sounds bad, considering you said you cried at school! But That actually made me feel very successful and happy in a way! (Sorry, sorry! *bows repeatedly*) I guess I can take a little bit of pride from knowing that the emotion was conveyed and that someone felt as much from the chapter as i did writing it! So seriously, from the bottom of my heart, thank you! And thank you for telling me all that! (Also I'm glad you didn't get in trouble for being on your phone! *thumbs up* :3 ) Ahaha, you rock! And thank you, thank you, thank you~!

Kirinah: Ahhhh! Haha, I'm so sorry that your happiness over the new chapter was almost immediately dashed! Hahaha, wow! Thank you though, for telling me about you reading it! I love hearing about real life situations like that where readers are actually impacted in their day-to-day life over something that I had written. I think that is the true goal of a writer...to successfully convey emotions that truly impact someone else! I would have loved to have seen your bf's face, haha! Hehehe, I love that you actually guessed about what was going to bring her back! You had a few different guesses, one of which may or may not be right...:3 I'll leave this at 'good guess' for now, and we'll find out for sure next chapter! Hehe (although I'm sure you may already know). AH! And the summoning! Awesome guess for that as well! Wow, you're good at this! Haha. Thank you so much for your review! As always, it made me incredibly happy!

SulliMike23: Ahhh...nooo! That's how I felt too when writing it. (it left me speechless for awhile) T^T No! And yes all at the same time! Things miiight be looking up!

lazygirlabc: (review#1)You can never use too many exclamation marks! They're amazing! Haha. Ahhh, yesss, leaving people speechless is the goal! Haha, although that might not always be considered good, but you said it was so I thank you a thousand times for that! I love that you mentioned Doctor Who! Hot damn, I loveeeeeee that show! Wouldn't that have been something if she just popped out of the Tardis screaming "SIKE"! Haha, something did happen to start her heart again, so your request was definitely granted! Any idea what it was that happened?:D Hahaha, and wow! You're like me! You said you've been waiting for someone to write Lucy dying...Ahaha, that was something I always wanted in a fic as well. Yesss, give me the angst and grief and suffering...I want all of it! Muahaha! But at the same time, gah, I want the sunshine and rainbows and fluff. Haha, what a combination. Thank you so much for your review! It was lovely and truly made me happy!

(review#2) WOW! You read the story again?! Holy cow, that made me literally smile so much to hear! Ahhhh, wowowowowow! What an amazing compliment! Especially knowing that you still felt the same emotions the second time around! Gah...how can I possibly say thank you enough times? There's no way...I don't think I can...so I guess I'm just going to have to keep writing this story until its end as my thanks! *bows* Thank youuuu!

The Age of Awesomeness: *sits quietly and listens to your rant until the very end, taking every swear word thrown at me like a champ, only shedding a few tears now and again* Wahhhh! Please forgive me! Or maybe stay angry? Anger is an emotion, and if I made you feel that through my writing then it was a job well done! Maybe? I think. Hahaha! Thank you so much for reviewing (even if it was with a 30 minute rant, hehe), and for being so patient with me! I truly appreciate you!

Guest#1: Ahhh! Well, mysterious stranger, I humbly thank you for reading and reviewing! As for why I did this to you...well, think of the worst thing you've ever done (like stolen the last cookie from the cookie jar?) and then let's just say it's karmic vengeance for that! Muahaha! Just kidddingggg! But seriously though, I'm glad you enjoyed the heart break!:)

Darlene: DARLENE! *materializes out of thin air in a burst of colorful smoke* Ahhhh, hello again! *tackles you in a hug* Ahaha, how have you been? I hope all is well! Yayy! I'm so glad you enjoyed Lucy's confession. I thought it was nice and tragic, but good that she was able to tell him before it was too late! I was really hoping someone would comment their thoughts on it, so thank youuuuu. Ahhh, I'm sorry though! *wipes away your tears* Ahaha, you caught on to me! When I said she was 100% dead, but didn't say she would stay dead. You were right! As usual:D hehe. Ahhh, wow, you're amazing! You quoted one of my favorite lines from Jellal! Yesss, writing his scenes from last chapter made me emotional too! Wow, it's been so long since we last talked! How was/is the new semester? I can't believe it started in october and we're already in January...WOW. I just can't seem to grasp how fast time is flying by. OH MY GOSH, BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE NEW YEAR MEANS?! *throws confetti and balloons everywhere* IT MEANS FT ANIME WILL BE COMING SOON, 2018, AWH YEAHHH! Ohhhhh my gosh, I can't wait! We have to talk about every episode, okay?! Yes, I get what you mean about Dragon Cry! I really wish we were given more slow moments, or time with the characters in general. You're right though, the animation was BEAUTIFUL! I hope they keep a similar style with the anime! AHhHHhHHhhh, yesssss, I'm so glad we got to see Acnologia animated in human form finally! And Zeref and company! SO excited! Of course your opinion would never make me angry! Please don't ever feel that way! One thing I love more than anything is discussing people's different opinions! I think it's so fascinating to see how people think differently and why exactly they think that way. I love it! So anytime you feel like sharing an opinion, I'm always here to listen!:D OH MY GOSH, DARLENE! Yessss! WOW! A tarzan AU sounds AMAZING! And holy crap, did you really just ask me that?! I would be honored to help you if you ever decide to write a fic! SO honored! You're gonna make me cry, ahaha. Gosh, you're just so sweet. Reading over this makes me realize how much I missed you! I really do hope that all is well! Thank you so much for being the awesome person that you are! *squeezes you super tight before frantically waving goodbye*

Roo: AH! Firstly, thank you for the multiple reviews! And nice to meet you! Welcome to the madness~! Enjoy your stayyy. Hehe. It was fun to read your progression through the story by your different comments! Gosh, I love cheetos way too much, hahaha...But yes! As to your review from the last chapter! AHHHHHH, I knowwww! It didn't seem possible that I would ever write something like that! Actually killing a character was really hard and a new challenge for me, but...is it bad if a part of me actually enjoyed writing it? Hmm...probably not, hahaha. And the confession! Ah! What timing! I knew I wanted to incorporate a tragic confession somehow, but maybe that was almost too cruel? Eh...again, probably not! Hehe:P Thank you so much for reviewing! Hopefully I'm beginning to make up for the tragedy!

Guest#2: YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! :D muahahaha

Frosted Fox: Wow, that was a really awesome guess!:D Although it wasn't Ultear, I hope the alternative didn't disappoint! But don't you worry, I have plans in store for Ultear... *rubs hands together mischievously*

Heavenly Star: Ah! Yess! My heart broke right along with Natsu's as well! That was actually the hardest part for me, writing Natsu's anguish...harder even than writing Lucy's actual death! Ahhhh, what better way for a confession to happen though?! Oops, did I say that?O_O Eep, don't hurt me! Gahh, I'm just imagining all of the feelings that ran through Natsu's mind when Lucy confessed like that...ahhh, angsty angst. Thank you so much for your review and the compliment! That made me very happy! I seriously appreciate it. I hope to continue to keep people happy with this story! Or maybe unhappy? Sad? Mad? Hmm...as long as your feeling something from it, that should be good, right?:D ahahaha

FireShifter: Hiii! Oh, dear, please don't ever apologize for a late review! Especially when my punctuality is as terrible as it is...Ahhh, I'm so sorry I took so long to update! I haven't had the slightest motivation to write...But I'm happy to finally be delivering another chapter to you! Also, I'm sorry if last chapter was confusing in any way! Was there anything I could clear up maybe? You said you weren't entirely sure what happened, and I'd love to help if I can! I'm always afraid of writing something that doesn't make sense, so please let me know if there's ever anything I can fix! But yes, Jude...Oh, Jude...there's so much more going on with him than what meets the eye. But you're right! Things are definitely not looking so bright for FT right now...however they did just now get a slight win! With Lucy's heart beating again and all. Thank you so much for reviewing, and sorry again for the late update! I look forward to hearing what you think of the newest chapter release:) Thank you!

Nalulover: *picks up the shattered broken pieces of your heart and carefully glues them together* Here you go! I'm so sorry for the damage! But alas, time heals all wounds! And sometimes hearts start beating again!:D YAY! Haha, but it's better that you didn't know about the angst, right? Surprise angst is always best! Or maybe it's the worst...hmmm...I'm not so sure anymore T^T I can't wait to continue sharing with you and hearing back again! I hope you enjoyed!:D

Mada666: Ahhh, yess, much heartbreak! Glorious heartbreak! hehehe, I'm sorry! But yay! Her heart is beating once more! Things just might start looking up for the FT gang once more...maybe. Ah! Yess! I'm glad you mentioned the confession and how Natsu didn't get to say it back! I thought that was definitely the most tragic part and I'm so happy that someone else felt the same way! Wow, thank you so much for the compliments and review! It put the biggest smile on my face! Thank you!

Guest#3: Ahh, thank you so much for the compliment! I promise to continue working diligently on the storyline! I'm so sorry the update was late:( But thank you so much for reading and for your patience!

booklover551: Ahhhh, NOOOOOO! YOU CAN'T BE DEAD! Don't worry, I will DEFINITELY revive you! I'm as stubborn as Natsu! Ahaha, hey! Lucy came back! Sooo...you promised me some halloween candy! Muahaha! Yesss! I hope you follow through on your promise...we wouldn't want to call the reinforcements.. *folds arms and waits patiently while mafia members line up behind me with menacing glares* hehehe, just kidding! *wink* Thank you so much for the compliments, wow, that made me happy...Thank you! You rock so much, thank youuu! I look forward to hearing your thoughts about the latest update :)

Guest#4: Ahhh, wow, you read it a couple times? Thank you! That means a lot! Wow~! Hehehe, I'm happy that I was able to convey so many emotions, despite it being sad...Now Lucy's heart is beating again! But is she in the clear? Hehehe, we'll seeeeeee. I hope you enjoyed Natsu's reaction! As much as possible at least, all things considered.

silver light of dawn: Ahh, thank you for your multiple reviews! Your last one was a few chapters back, so I hope you're seeing this! I just wanted to give you my appreciate for reading and sharing your thoughts!:D And to thank you sincerely for the amazing compliments! I love writing the FT characters because they're all so unique! So to know that I'm able to capture even a fraction of their personalities really means a lot to me! Thank you so much!

Guest#5: Wow! Thank you so much! That was seriously an amazing compliment...and seriously, just put a lot of time and practice and effort into your writing, NEVER give up, and you can become an even more amazing author than I could ever dream of being! It's all about dedication! You can do it!:D

Guest#6: hehehe, cliffhangers are the best AND the worst, aren't they? I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter! Thanks for reading!:D

calypso tchaka: AHHHH! No! *picks up the broken pieces* WAIT, we can fix this! Haha, but seriously, wow! Thank you so much! The best and the worst reading experience means more to me than you can possibly know. Thank you so much for saying that! And trust me, I understand what you mean about life happening...life happened to me too and before I knew it months had passed! T^T I'm sorry though, I hope everything is okay with you! And I'm happy to have you back as well! Haha, yesss, Kyoka is so cruel, but that also makes it somewhat fun to write her character I think...she's so sadistic and I don't usually get the chance to write like that. And oh, Jude...yess, there's so much going on with him. I really just want to punch him though..Ugh. Ahhh, thank you again! Seriously! I really appreciate your opinions and thoughts! Thanks so much! Until next time! My warmest regards~

Sammy: WOW! Thank you so much! That is a major compliment if this fic was the first to evoke such emotion in you that it brought you to tears! Wow! Thank you! T^T I'll cry with you if it makes it any better! And yay! I definitely plan to continue this story until the very end! I hope you continue to enjoy! WOW! From Brazil?! That's incredible! Ahhh, thank you so much! :D

WOW! So many awesome comments! And lots and lots of heartbreak...muahaha. Successsss.

BUT, things are looking a little brighter, no?

What did you think? Any questions about what exactly happened? Do you know what/who the light was that Lucy was talking to? How was she revived? What did you think of the 'afterlife'? Favorite part of the chapter? Least favorite?

I wanna hear your thoughts and opinions!:D

I have so much in store for you guys!

But first, I just want to stop and say thank you to all of the readers that have stuck around this long and made it to this point! You guys are literally the best, and reading over your kind words has really helped lift my spirits. I can't thank you enough for that.

Thank you so, so much!

Here's to the continuing adventure, eh?:D

xoxo

-Mac