"Has anyone seen Juvia?" Asked Lucy to a group of her guild mates with a hand on her back and another on her growing child, as a frown overtook her features when she got a wave of 'no's and 'not really's as an answer to her question.

'Where was she?' Hummed the girl in her mind, her heart curious yet worried at the girl's whereabouts as she hadn't seen her in three days now.

'She definitely didn't take a new job...and if she did she would've told me...maybe she's sick at home or something?' Lucy could only wonder at this point.

Looking to her left, Lucy found Gildarts sighing at the bar drinking alone, as the girl decided to approach him and ask him if he knew anything about the blue haired.

"Gildarts." The mentioned man flinched at the sound of the blond calling him, as Lucy frowned when he turned and started looking at her as if she was some kind of ghost.

"Have you seen Juvia anywhere?"

The man at first looked at a loose of words, but then shook his head no as an answer to the blonde's question, Lucy sighing to herself as she thanked him and left him alone with his thoughts.

The thoughts that were full of his encounter with him a day ago.

The man could still remember his words perfectly.

"Take care of Lucy for me."

While groaning, Gildarts drowned in another drink, hoping it could calm him down somehow.

Back to Lucy now, the woman decided to make her way over to Fairy Hills where Juvia's apartment was located, as she sighed at the sight of the long flight of stairs in front of her, her feet dragging themselves forcefully on them, as she thanked Mavis that Juvia's room was on the second floor and not any further then that.

Knocking on the blue haired girl's door, Lucy sighed as she felt her back hurt her. Man being pregnant was like turning into an old woman--

Lucy's thoughts were cut off when the door before her slightly opened, revealing, to Lucy's surprise, a tired looking Juvia with red eyes and puffy eyelids. Lucy could only stare at the girl with wide eyes.

"J--Juvia?!"

"...Lucy..."

To say that the woman looked sick could be an understatement.

She looked like she was dying.

"What's wrong?" Asked Lucy pushing the girl's door open herself, as she quickly took both of her hands in her own. "Are you okay? You look so tired!! Are you sick? Or--?"

"I'm fine Lucy."

Lucy's eyes widened at the girl's answer as she gazed at the girl in disbelief.

'Fine my ass--'

"What happened?" Seriously asked Lucy this time to the blue haired girl, who looked startled at the blonde's sudden change of emotion. "Please Juvia tell me, I want to help you." Juvia could only nervously bit at her bottom lip as Lucy squeezed both of the girl's hands softly.

"J--Juvia.....sh--she...."

Another squeeze at her hands made Juvia flinch her head upwards to look directly into Lucy's eyes.

The ones that were looking at her with so much fondness and worry.

Juvia felt touched at her caring friend's before her.

She could trust her. The person before her is Lucy after all, her guild mate, her love rival-- her friend.

Taking in a deep breath while triing to her best in not letting her tears stream down her cheeks, she decided to tell Lucy-

"....Gray-sama....."

"...Gray?" Confusingly asked Lucy to the girl who sheepishly nodded at her while softly sniffling. "What about him? Are you still sad about what happened to him?" The shake of Juvia's head made Lucy's curiosity peak even more.

"He....he visited me."

Lucy's eyes widened in surprise. The woman didn't know at what to be surprised at honestly though, whether at Juvia's revelation or at the fact she didn't talk in the third person.

"A--and--"

Juvia gulped as she tried to hold back her tears, Lucy though instantly spotting some brimming her eyes as the blond woman soothingly rubbed at her hands, in way of telling her that it was all right to cry, all right to let everything out.

"And?"

Juvia felt her heart break while uttering her next words-

"He was so different..."

Juvia gave up in holding in her tears after that phrase.

While looking up Lucy, she cried harder when seeing the blonde's own teary eyes.

"What happened to him Lucy?" Cried out Juvia while coming closer to hug the blonde who welcomed her hug with open arms. "What happened?"

Lucy could only start crying herself at the sound of Juvia's questions.

She knows how the woman in her arms feel after all...

||

Somewhere far far away from the city of Magnolia:

The salmon haired boy known as Natsu Dragneel could only pant while growling at the discomfort that he felt in his head.

In his brain to be more precise.

The man was crouched down on his knees, struggling to keep his sanity, as he felt like the thing that person had inserted inside of him and Gray start to completely take over his body.

'No.'

Natsu groaned when his vision started to darken.

'No!! No!!'

The man felt like his veins were almost going to burst at this point, as breathing became harder and harder with each new breath that he was taking.

'This can't be happening....don't give up you idiot!! Don't--'

Laying on his back in the middle of nowhere, Natsu weakly gazed at the green trees above him, as he ever so slowly lost his sanity.

'No-- fuck no.'

He knew. He knew that idiot Gray had already gave up in gaining control of his mind again...but dammit--

Why? Why? Did this happen to him? Why was he suddenly so weak?

Natsu growled as his fist harshly net the ground beneath him.

When the heck did he become weak?

The pain in his head was too much to feel at this point, as he felt his vision slowly darken, the man gritting his teeth in anger at himself for not being able to stop this.

'Lucy....I'm sorry....'

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

'I love you.'

The last thing that Natsu saw before completely loosing his conscience, was the sight of the smirking old man who had made him like this, looming over his figure...

||

Lucy felt shivers suddenly trickled down her spine, as her heart painfully squeezed in her chest, Juvia instantly noticing her friend's sudden change of emotion.

"Is Lucy okay??"

Lucy slightly shook her head while placing a hand on her chest. "I--I'm fine."

Placing her hand on her stomach, Lucy worriedly rubbed at it.

'....something's not right...'

She could feel it.

||

I

always ignore this fic idk why 🤦‍♀️

Anyway I'll try to bring you guys weekly updates for this fanfic and not yearly ones lol