"Natsu, where did you go? You just left me out there!"

Happy glares at me from the door and I quickly disregard him and look back in front of me.

"Not now."

I walk back and forth across the room.

Three years. Three years since I last saw Lucy and I have no idea what happened in that huge gap that could have led her to where she is now.

What happened?

Ughhh!

My hands pull at my hair.

The sound of the door opening and a few pairs of footsteps walking in brushes past my ears. My hands go in front of my face to keep from seeing the people in the room.

"Natsu, what's going on?"

I pace back and forth, my head in my hands, covering my view of the people around me.

How could this happen?

I don't understand.

My head shakes back and forth in my hands and my pace quickens across the small room.

I don't understand-

A hand falls on my shoulders

"Natsu, what happened?"

I flinch away from their touch. My head snaps up out of my hands and I take a couple of steps back.

Erza looks at me with slight alarm and her hand slowly drops to her side. Gray coughs in response to the ensuing silence in the room.

"Natsu, what happened while we were gone?"

My gaze scans across all of their faces and the alarm that's written over them.

I stand up straight and send a hand through my hair. My head shakes a couple of times.

"What...what happened with you guys? You don't look like you did anything but go on a little walk."

Gray rolls his eyes and falls back onto the couch.

"There was nothing but traces of a teleport lacrima."

Erza sighs.

"We have no idea where they really are or how many of them there are. Teleport lacrimas can only go so far though so at least we know they can't be towns always from us."

I nod solemnly and Erza stares at me.

"What?"

"What happened, Natsu? We saw the shop so we know they were here."

I stay silent and look at my feet but Erza presses on.

"Did you fight them, Natsu? How many were there? How strong were they?"

She sighs in frustration.

"Natsu!"

"Yes I saw them!"

She looks at me surprised and she goes back to her controlled self.

"Then what happened?"

I let out a frustrated breath.

"There was...someone I know."

Her eyesbrows crease and Gray perks a little in surprise. Happy watches with curious eyes from beside Gray.

"Three guys we're robbing the shop but this girl...I didn't know she was a girl. I didn't see her and she didn't use her magic. She distracted me without even doing anything except moving around in the cover of trees. She's smart."

"Then how did you know who she was?"

"I caught onto their scents and followed them through the woods. I saw her face there. Her name is Lucy."

Happy perks slightly and I can tell he is mulling through his memories looking for where he's heard the name Lucy before.

His eyes widen.

"You mean the one from Hargeon?"

I nod my head.

"That was years ago..."

Gray stands up to get himself into the conversation.

"Wait. Who is this Lucy chick?"

My muscles tense slightly but I take a deep breath.

"A girl Happy and I met three years ago in Hargeon. She told me about how she wanted to go to Fairy Tail..."

I bite my lip and drop my gaze from everyone else's.

"And I told her that she couldn't join."

I keep my gaze down in shame.

"Natsu it isn't your fault..."

Happy attempts to comfort me but I shake my head and drag my hands down my face in exasperation.

"So this girl you met is a part of the dark guild."

I nod slowly at Erza. She contemplated everything I've told her, completely unaware of my torment.

"She's been robbing this place...these innocent people. The worst part is that she's good at it."

I bite my lip to keep it from trembling and keep my face rested in my hands.

"She seems like bad news."

My jaw ticks as Gray speaks, the shaking vanishing as my muscles tense.

"It sounds like it's a good thing-"

My hands drop from my face.

"-you never brought her to Fairy Tail, then."

Before Gray has the chance to blink I'm already on him, rushing forward and grabbing hold of his shirt with an unbreakable fist. My whole body trembles in anger and my jaw is clenched so tight I wouldn't be surprised if my teeth started to break.

My hands grasp onto the top of his shirt and I push him forward roughly, sending his back slamming into the wall. Gray's eyes widen in surprise and he puts his hands up next to his face.

"Natsu!"

Erza yells at me from the end of the room but it's not enough to stop me, not now.

I seethe in anger and stare into Gray's confused eyes.

"Don't ever speak about her like that!"

"Natsu, I-"

I slam his back hard into the wall.

"Never speak about her again!"

"Natsu!"

Erza appears at my side but she doesn't interfere. Instead she watches me cautiously, sitting back and playing her best bet: reason.

"Natsu, let Gray go."

My grip tightens and my head slowly arches down to look at the ground. My eyes close and I shake my head slowly.

"You don't understand, Erza."

"You're right, Natsu. I don't understand and neither does Gray."

My head snaps up in one jerky movement in Erza's direction.

"That's the problem!"

Her eyes widen and she takes the smallest of steps backward in surprise.

My breathing is heavy and uneven, my entire body tense to the point it hurts.

Erza's eyes morph into something. Not fear. Erza doesn't show fear easily, but something close. She's seeing something she's never seen before, I've never acted like this and that worries her.

She has worry in her eyes...and fear, but not because she's scared of me, but she's scared for me.

My eyes widen and I look back in front of me. Gray is stiff and unmoving, trying to keep me from snapping because of anything he does. Sweat has formed on his forehead and his lips are pressed into a small line.

My eyes fall to my hands and I slowly loosen my grasp, his shirt going slack against his chest. I completely let go and take a step back.

Gray gulps and slowly unpresses from the wall where I had had him completely smashed against.

"I..."

The words fall away before I can speak them and I look down to the floor, lost.

"Natsu?"

I snap my gaze up.

Happy, Gray and Erza all look at me with a mix of expressions that all lead to the same thing.

What's happening? What do I do? What is he going to do? I don't know what to do.

Those are the thoughts racing through their heads at this moment and I've never felt like more of a stranger to them.

"I need to get some air."

I quickly make my way to the door. Erza calls out to me but I walk out without looking back and walk swiftly down the hall.

Nobody follows me out.