Ending is rushed, so I'm sorry about that. Anyway, I'm almost finished with the latest chapter of Switched. Almost, I swear. In the meantime, I hope you guys like this newest chapter of Live On!

I don't own FT. (Duh)

He barely escaped.

Everything had been so bright that when he retreated to the darkness, his sight had been dappled with blinding spots that interfered with where he was going.

Back at Sabertooth's dining hall, he had turned and ran with all of his might until his legs screamed in agony. He was immune to fire, but the flames surrounding him and lapping at his ankles were just too much. Had he stayed a second longer, he would have gone insane.

Through all the pandemonium, he narrowly slipped through the exit to the corridors, dashed down them, found himself back in the main room, and threw the doors open. Just like that, he blindly raced into the open arms of the pitch black outdoors.

He regained some sanity when he stopped in the core of a forest. The adrenaline left his system when he planted his hands on his knees and took deep, shuddering breaths. He cut through the silence like a knife, filling the night with heavy respiration.

He choked someone.

Not just anyone. Sting Eucliffe.

The master of Sabertooth. That wasn't all.

There was that girl.

Hiyori reaching out to take his hand.

Shit.

Hiyori giggling in that suppressed way of hers.

Garbage.

He wanted to believe that it was merely a mirage. Simply a mistake in his vision. A hallucination. Or even a dream. Maybe it were those chocolate eyes that deceived him or perhaps the golden hair that triggered it. Perhaps it was only coincidental that she looked so much like her.

And Natsu would be a fool to forget that he lived in a world full of sorcery and wizardry. In Earthland, there were so many types of magic out there that could manipulate his eyesight or his memory of her. Or maybe his mind was messing with him, making a connection with every female blonde out there with her.

Doesn't mean anything.

Yes, yes, that had to be it. There was absolutely no way that he saw what he saw. Seeing is believing. it was very likely that someone was pulling a prank on him.

He exhaled forcefully.

But the nonstop beating in his chest begged to differ. His eyesight was as sharp as hawk's. Natsu never encountered a magician who could mess with another person's mind. There was also Hiyori's voice to think about as well. They were like chimes clinking together and emitting a twinkly-like sound. His hearing was more keen than his vision; he had every voice he had ever heard in his life memorized.

Then. . what? Based on all the facts, what conclusion could he make other than the one he was too afraid to face?

The fire dragon slayer bit the inside of his cheek so hard to the point of tearing it apart. What an idiot. He was disregarding the true facts. Lucy Heartfilia died. It was true that he was not a witness of her passing, but he saw her corpse with his very eyes. He remembered her limp body being carried out into the guild room with gentle care. He had shoved everyone, anyone in his path and darted forward to see her face - futilely desiring to see her alive.

He'd looked only to stare in horror at her beautiful face diminished by the one last breath she took that seeped the life out of her. Her skin tone was as pale as snow and her silhouette was frail and almost shriveled.

During the funeral, Natsu touched her. Just one brush of his fingers along her skin. He couldn't force himself to hold her hand; it was just too much. But the memory of him almost withdrawing his hand at the frigid cold that resided in Lucy's skin was crystal clear in his head.

It was gruesome for him, an event that he could never lock away in the vault, something he could never unsee or forget. Lucy's passing was an endless nightmare that he would always thrash helplessly in. Alone, with no one to help him or understand him.

Facing the facts, he harshly told himself Lucy was gone.

And no doppelgänger or identical twin was going to change that.

With that out of the way, he pinched at the edges of his hood and shifted it over his head. He hid every trace of salmon locks, knowing fully well that Sabertooth was a guild that couldn't stay still. They would most likely come after him, or at least take some sort of action. Now that sounded familiar.

He stuck a hand in his pants pocket, poking the sack full of jewel in it. It jingled and rang, giving him a twisted sense of comfort. In his possession, was a bountiful amount of money that could last him 3 more days at the most. It was amusing that so much jewel could be carried in such a small pouch.

Natsu collected it on the palm of his hand (still in the pocket) and shut his eyes, faced with two decisions that could make matters better or worse for him.

Go back to Fairytail?

Or escape and make a new life for himself?

The latter was almost exhilarating to him. No one else mattered in his life anymore, anyway. If he could just go away then maybe, just maybe, all of his suffering would evanesce. He could create another identity and forget who Natsu Dragneel was. The incompetent fool he once was before would vanish out of existence, and benefit him greatly.

Living a life of solitude would mean no worries, no one constantly watching over him and pestering over him.

But his responsibilities dragged him back down to Earthland. What he had just done to Sabertooth was unforgivable, and even sinful. It was true that in the past, he had wreaked careless destruction on many villages and cities.

This was another matter, though, he messed with a guild. A guild they were allied with since the events of the Grand Magic terrible actions could just be enough to break the pact and lead to another civil war between guilds.

Even if he attempted to convince himself that he didn't care, he couldn't shake the fact that he did. But why? His family never stopped once to think about how his heart had shattered into a million pieces at his loss. They moved on, just like what they did with Lisanna, except in this case, no one understood him.

Natsu trekked through the woods. He centered his magic on the palm of his hand, and flames erupted on the spot. The light guided his way through. When crinkly leaves crunched beneath his feet, he was reminded of Lisanna.

Not this again.

He had days to make his final decision. For now, he would need to forge a path through the forest and leave the Capital of Fiore without causing any more trouble.

Yukino dragged another unconscious body from the wreckage that was once their beloved guild headquarters. Her body was clammy with sweat all-over and she hadn't taken a single break ever since the fire started in the dining hall. She told herself she was not to complain; out of all of the guild members, she took the lesser blow.

Only scratches and a few cuts marred her arms and legs, and her lips were chapped. It was a miracle that her wounds were not even shedding blood. But her bare feet could only move so far before she would most likely pass out. Her heart lurched in sadness when she passed another limp body to Rufus.

Rufus gently placed the body on a bed that was merely a cushion propped up with broken off foliage.

He pushed his forefinger and middle finger against his temple and mouthed the words to perform healing magic. He composed himself well for someone who had been up all night as a substitute for a real healer, but Yukino couldn't help but worry for his well-being.

"Rufus, how are you doing?" She asked.

The memory-make wizard kept his focus on the patient who lay on a makeshift bed before him. Yukino scrunched up the toes in her shoes when he didn't answer right away.

In concentration, Rufus hovered his other hand over their guild mate's abdomen. Magic trickled from his fingertips and transferred over to the unconscious mage. It flowed throughout the wizard's body, giving it an unearthly but healthy glow.

The wizard let out a content sigh and his shoulders seemed to relax.

Rufus lowered his hand from the side of his head. If he didn't appear drained of energy before, he did now. Behind his mask, he gave Yukino a smile of reassurance. "I'm fine, Yukino. Our fellow members of the guild are the ones you need to worry about."

"You're a member of Sabertooth." Yukino countered. "I worry about you and everybody else."

The memory-make mage made a sound of amusement. "Well, then make everyone else your priority. I have things under control here."

Yukino shut her mouth before she could protest. She nodded affirmatively and left Rufus's side, but not before sending a look of worry his way. Her attention centered on the mages that were dousing the ongoing fire in Sabertooth. Gusts of water shot out of their palms, and sprayed the sputtering flames that grew weaker.

Her fingers flew instinctively to her side, where all of her keys were stored. She dug out a zodiac key in particular, and was just about to point it to the area in front of her to summon the spirit.

"We don't need anymore help!" A voice met her ears. "Keep that key for someone who needs it!"

One mage amongst the group, who was atop a cracked pillar closest to the ground, gave her a thumbs up and a confident smile.

She tucked the Pisces key away reluctantly. But I want to do more. She wanted to say back. Everybody here needs help.

If only she were brave enough to step in and tell them that. But she did the cowardly act of heeding that wizard's word and moved along. She rubbed her shoulders despite the heat emanating from the remnants of the fire.

They would all need to find a source of hospitality somewhere in Crocus. A hotel would do, but Yukino knew they had to find a suitable area to patch up more injured wizards. She wrung her hands, wary of the layer of dust on them.

Matters were only made worse knowing that Natsu of all people had done this to them.

Admittedly, she found his behavior strange upon bandaging his fractured arm in the infirmary, when the room was still intact. He came across as ruthless and brooding to her, even though she recalled him being a cheerful soul 2 years back. It was as if an optimistic boy deteriorated into a grown, pessimistic adult. Was that right?

Was it a bad thing to grow up?

"Yukino! You're okay!" Yukino saw a mere blur. She felt arms wrap around her figure and hug her tightly.

Hiyori pulled back, with her fingers gripping Yukino's shoulders. She looked relieved. "You're not hurt too badly, are you?"

The celestial spirit wizard wagged her head. "No, I'm in a better condition than most of our nakama." She tried to smile. "How are you?"

Hiyori's eyes narrowed as if she were reminded of a bad memory. She removed her hands from Yukino's shoulders. "Nothing fatal. I was able to recover my ring, too." Yet even as she said this, her expression still told the tale of something bothering her. It didn't take a genius to guess what was nagging Hiyori.

Yukino began, "Listen, Hiyori, we had a bad run-in with him-"

Hiyori held up her forefinger to stop Yukino in the middle of her sentence. "Nope. I'm not hearing it. I don't care how great he was back then. He destroyed our home." Her eyes flashed in ignorance which told Yukino that she wasn't going to change her impression on the fire dragon slayer.

"But if you'd just-"

"Let's discuss this later. Please?" It was phrased as a request, but Yukino was perfectly aware that Hiyori meant the question to be rhetorical. Yukino turned her head to the side in shame, not sure whether or not she should answer.

She wasn't given an opportunity to decide.

Because Sting hobbled to them with a bedridden gait that looked foreign on such a youthful mage. The Sabertooth army winced and stopped a few feet away from them. He was wearing soiled trousers that were a two sizes too big for him. They dipped in a crooked way along his waist, and exposed a little more skin than they should have.

He was shirtless as well, since bandages circled his biceps and chest.

Normally, she would feel mortified at such a view and shield her vision out of naivety. But Yukino held her breath when she spotted stretched red marks on either side of his throat. It was dreadful to see something that must have been so painful in display like this.

"Sting. . " Yukino covered her mouth in despair.

Hiyori reacted differently, stiffening when she processed that he was there. "What on Earthland do you think you're doing?!"

Yukino glided off to the side.

Hiyori hiked her knees up, planting one solid foot after another to approach Sting. She skidded to a stop only inches away from him. She jabbed at his bandaged chest lightly, but firmly.

She glared up at him, not letting her shorter height impede her lecture. "You-! You are supposed to be resting in bed!"

Sting's bottom lip poked out childishly. "I'm not sleepy."

"Resting! You can't be moving around!" The ring mage snapped menacingly.

"I'm cured, though. I feel as good as new." Sting extended one of his arms and flexed it with ease. "See?"

Hiyori's forehead pulsed. "Just because you can contract your muscle doesn't mean you're 'as good as new.' Your legs are crippled from the attack, and you can barely walk. Plus, you're definitely sore all over. I can tell."

Legs? Yukino's heart dropped down to her toes when she saw them.

Burns peppered from his shins to his ankles. They were an alarming bloody red that stood out, which made Yukino question why she hadn't noticed them before. A white sheen of ointment was lathered over the wounds, but they looked nowhere near healed.

"Hiyori's right." Yukino said without a doubt in her mind. "You can't be walking around with those."

Sting looked ready to object. "But-"

"You heard her." Hiyori scolded him, claiming Yukino's statement as leverage. "You're going back to bed, mister."

"Look, you can't do anything about it." A demeaning scowl spread across his face. "I'm the Sabertooth master. I need to lead the guild whether I'm in mint condition or harmed. It's my job."

Playing the "master" card, wasn't something Sting normally pulled to get what he wanted. Judging that, Yukino figured he was being serious.

Hiyori faltered, having no answer. "At least use a crutch." She mumbled instead of arguing.

Sting nodded. "We're going to have to find shelter for the night. Maybe one of the inns."

"Shelter?" And the fire was back. Hiyori spread her hands. "Is that all you can think about right now?"

"I'm sorry; am I missing something important?" Sting responded stiffly.

"Something important? You're missing the big picture!" Hiyori seethed in outrage. "You almost got killed! By-By that horrible, rotten-"

"I'm not missing the big picture, Hiyori. I'm not about to go after Natsu. He's my friend." Sting said this with such gentle care that Yukino wondered if he harbored any hatred towards Natsu at all.

"This 'Natsu Dragneel' isn't our friend! He's a monster, Sting, please - you have to remember. You must have hit your head because he was hurting you." Hiyori was on the verge of tears from the looks of it. "I nearly lost you. I almost gave up."

Sting knelt to her level, his eyes emanating a sort of intimacy that caused Yukino to turn away.

"It won't happen again, Hiyori. I promise. I'll take good care of myself." Sting vowed.

Yukino listened to Hiyori sniffle.

"Y-You swear. You swear it."

"I swear."

Yukino swiveled her head to face them when she thought it was appropriate. "You're not going to tell him, then?"

Sting stood up, his eyebrows scrunching. "Tell who?"

"Master Makarov. Are you going to just pretend this never happened?" Yukino folded her arms. She was one to allow incidents to slide, since everyone was bound to make mistakes one way or another. But glaringly, this was no accident. Natsu targeted Sting, their guild master, with the intention to harm him. That was clear to her, and therefore, Sabertooth had a right to confront Natsu for it if Sting allowed.

Sting's gaze darted to the side, refusing to meet Yukino's. "I haven't decided yet."

Hiyori looked about ready to explode, but Yukino gave a little shake of her head in her direction to not say anything. "I know it's hard for you, Sting." She addressed him. "We can wait."

Sting smiled as if he made a narrow escape. "Thank you for understanding, Yukino."

"Mm." She could only hope that he'd make the right decision in the end.

The Sabertooth master indicated the wrecked building. "The fire's out."

Sure enough, the fire was gone. Only ashes remained, billowing and traveling up into the atmosphere.

The whistle blew a high-pitched note that rang throughout the train. It signaled that they were near their destination, and the ear-splitting sound made Lisanna curl her fingers.

She had been dreading that sound ever since they departed from Magnolia. It haunted her when she made inept attempts to distract herself. When she'd watch the scenery move by, or when she'd eat, or when she'd even sleep, it was there to stay.

Lisanna regretted the fact that she left Natsu's side. She shouldn't have gone with her instincts and run to get help. She should've stayed, but she was too caught up in fear.

I was scared.

She was no victim to Natsu's brusqueness, no matter what other people assumed. He was cruel and brooding after Lucy's death, and in ways more than one, she couldn't blame him for that. Their relationship was like yin and yang, two parts of a whole, they fitted each other and no one else.

They were soul mates.

When she first returned home to Earthland, she was taken aback by their solid relationship. When they talked, they always had this playful and carefree edge to their conversation. Nothing between them was awkward or serious, and they were so comfortable with themselves.

They were content.

Lisanna guessed that they were no more than extremely close friends and proceeded to make up for lost time with Natsu. Or she tried to.

He didn't avoid her, nor ignore her, but Lisanna later realized that he wasn't as close to her as he used to be. He wasn't as jovial around Lisanna, and their relationship wasn't comparable to the one he shared with Lucy.

It was saddening to see that they had grown so far apart.

When Lucy and Natsu finally dated, admitting their feelings, Lisanna's heart cracked at the stolen-no, lost opportunity to be with him again.

The cart she was in slowed to a stop. Passengers bustled in their seats to shove books and newspapers in their bags and luggages. Others were aroused from deep slumber and yawned and stretched out their limbs.

Lisanna was worried that Natsu would react negatively at her arrival. She didn't know what to expect; that was the frightening part. He broke his arm from what Yukino said, and guilt overrode Lisanna because it was all her fault.

Maybe she shouldn't have secured his location. Maybe Yukino shouldn't have called her and told her that Natsu was staying with them.

Maybe-

"Lisanna, we're here."

Lisanna took a shuddering breath.

Mira scrutinized her anxiously. "Are you okay, Lisanna?"

"I'm good." Lisanna offered a forced smile to assure her older sister.

"It's been quite some time since we've been here." She hummed as they waited in the aisle to leave the train. "Ah, the memories."

Lisanna bobbed her head, although she was occupied with her own thoughts. Would he yell at her? Scream obscenities at her?

Two passengers away from the exit.

"Those dragons were quite a handful." Mira murmured. "But Natsu did a great job leading everyone."

Lisanna eyed the steps warily and descended them, careful not to trip and redo her accident by the stream in Magnolia.

The rising sun greeted her, and the cool air bathed her body.

Oh yeah, the girl who helped me.

Mirajane stopped moving. She sucked in sharply all of a sudden, staring straight ahead. Her expression was a mixture of surprise and anger.

Lisanna followed Mira's eyes.

She inhaled with difficulty. "Hi. . Natsu." She mumbled, her voice a breathy whisper.

Natsu tilted his head, surveying the Strauss sisters. "Hi." He said harshly.

Reviews are appreciated!