*The characters belong to Hiro Mashima, not me.*

*Videos, photos, DO NOT belong to me. Credit to its rightful owners.*
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Lucy stared at her surroundings, feeling the familiarity, yet the difference of the place. Everything seemed... older. She entered what it looked like her apartment, and walked around, trying to find her room.

It looked the same as the one back on Earthland. But more organized and untouched for what it seemed like months. Her drawers, bed, everything was an illusion. 'This isn't real.' Lucy told herself every now and then.

"Maybe I'm just dreaming things..." she scratched the back of her neck. The blonde never saw this, until now. There was a boy with salmon hair, silently crying, for what it seemed like someone's death. It was true, her future self was killed, but why was he acting like his world has been filled with darkness?

Lucy went up to him, the tense environment causing her to take a deep breath. "Hey, Natsu? Is that you? Don't cry..."

"Lucy?" He asked, tears of joy in his eyes. Just hearing her voice, was enough for him.

"Huh? What is it?"

"How come you-you're alive?!? Aren't you supposed to be dead?!" Natsu didn't know how to react to this, Lucy appearing into his life again. He seemed uncomfortable, but later embraced her, like it was the last time he'll do that. As if saying goodbye.

'Oh right, this isn't the normal Earthland. In this place, I'm... deceased...'

"Well..." Lucy tried to come up with something, anything that would make Natsu smile. "Our bond is so strong... that you're emotions caused me to appear beside you..." She smiled, feeling the bitterness in her words. Her gaze was fixed on the floor. They both let go, the same tension as before,

"Are you real? Or a ghost?"

"I'm real, Natsu. I am." Lucy placed her hand, the one with the fairy Tail guild mark on his chest. "Do you feel it?"

"I-I don't. If you're not real... you're just an illusion of her to make me feel better..." It was the truth, she was an illusion, but she couldn't say that to him.

"Natsu, I'm here. This is real. Us. You never lost me..."

"Then why did you had to die...? Why?" No response.

"Answer me..."

Lucy sighed, running out of things to say, it was difficult for her to answer the questions. She knew she had to tell him somehow, but her courage wasn't enough. She would break him even more. "Don't worry, I'll be by your side. Now," she giggled. "Let's do something fun!"

Natsu's tears were gone, replaced by his usual toothy grin. There were many, many things he wanted to do and so many conversations to have. No time to waste. Both Lucy and Natsu left the apartment, going in random directions

"Look, Luce!" He pointed towards the sky. "The sunset, it's really pretty," Natsu smiled, and Lucy couldn't help to smile as well. The shades of orange, red, yellow and a tint of pink, like layers of paint on a portrait.

"Yeah, and the night sky... I really want to see a constellation... although I doubt I will, since there isn't any at this time of year," she sighed.

"What else do you want to do?"

"Let's just walk around town. You said it, as long as we're together, it'll be fun." So, they walked for about 3 hours, full of fun, food, conversations, everything friends did. Well, if you consider these two friends.

At that moment, Lucy knew she had to go back. Yet her heart wasn't prepared. She remembered something Levy told her a long time ago.

"If you travel to a different timeline, you can risk changing the present itself."

Did she listen? Well, not really. And on the plus side, she wasn't really changing anything? If she were to suddenly disappear, there would be no major changes. At least, she thought so...

In Earthland, Fairy Tail Guild hall...

"Where's Luce?" Natsu asked, expecting an answer.

"I don't know, Natsu~San. Maybe she took a day off or something?" Wendy replied, oblivious to what was going on.

Back to Lucy and (Future) Natsu...

"Thank you,"

"You're wel-" Natsu pressed his lips against Lucy's. A soft, light feather kiss, the type of kiss that seemed like the first, yet last.

What hurts the most...

Is being so close....

But having so much to say...

And watching you walk away...

An never knowing, what could've been...

And not seeing that loving you...

Is what I was tryin' to do...

" There's something I have to tell you, Natsu..."

"What is it?" He asked, his curiosity increasing every second.

"I don't belong here. I'm not your Lucy, I'm sorry," she apologized, the guilt consuming most of her thoughts.

"So you were just lying to me... I knew it..." he trailed off, realization slapping him.

"No! I am Lucy, I'm just from a different world..."

"You'd think I'd see you again?"  This question didn't had a 'right' or 'wrong' answer. It was just impossible. Yet she was on his dimension.

"I have to go. I really have to." Lucy's tone was desperate, like Cinderella running away from the palace. It was a quite similar feeling, except that Natsu won't have anything to remember her. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't.

"This is goodbye, Natsu..." she faded away, leaving him alone. Forever. This isn't the type of story that gets a happily ever after. Like I said before, they would never see each other again. A miracle, an illusion.

Is there such thing as a happily ever after?