"Welcome, one and all, to the Tower of Heaven." A voice boomed overhead, grabbing the attention of the other mages.

"Jellal." Erza clenched her fists in anger, immediately recognizing the voice after years of separation.

Lucy studied Erza's behavior, and silently wondered if she still like him? Erza had told her that she still wished to try and save Jellal. But Lucy honestly thinks it's a lost cause, those who had fallen to the dark side may never come back to the light, and she is speaking from experience.

"I am Jellal, ruler of this tower. Both sides have arranged their playing pieces."

"Playing pieces?" Lucy scanned her surroundings, trying to find where was the voice coming from. And she wondered what he meant by pieces. Does that mean this will be a game? A gamble?

"It's Jellal. He's talking so the whole tower can hear him." Simon answered for the confused mages that didn't know what was going on.

Erza was tensed, Sho was trembling with confusion and anger, Lucy was afraid for Erza, Gray was unsure, Juvia was hesitant, and Simon was anxious. And it seemed silent and still with the absent of a screaming fire mage.

"So, shall we begin the 'Heaven's Game '? The rules are simple. I wish to use Erza as a living sacrifice in a ceremony to revive Zeref."

Lucy choked on her breath. Sacrifice? Erza? No..

"Jellal!" Sho muttered angrily, feeling so betrayed at the sudden change of pace. He hated betrayal more than anything.

"In other words, once the door to heaven opens, I win. But, if you are able to prevent that, then you win. However, that by itself wouldn't make for a very fun game. So I have brought three warriors here." Jellal continued.

Three warriors? Lucy didn't like the sound of that...

"The only way to reach me is through them. In other words, this is a three-on-eight battle royale. One final note. There is a chance that the council will attack this location from the Satellite Square using Etherion, the ultimate, all-destroying magic"

Etherion!? Why is this Jellal person acting like it's nothing to worry about!? Lucy trembled. She turned to Erza to see her reaction. Erza sported a small, almost invisible smile, but nobody would've notice it. But Lucy knew Erza enough to know what kind of smile that was. She had a place, and Lucy knew that it wouldn't be good.

"It's unclear how much time we have left. However, should the Etherion hit, it will mean destruction. 'Game over' without any winners."

So this is all game to Jellal? Life does not even matter to him? Lucy wondered why Erza wanted to try and save him. Lucy couldn't understand...

"Would the council even do that?" Gray questioned.

"It's not possible!" Juvia trembled.

"This is the council we're talking about." Lucy muttered before a flash of light blinded her for a second. She turned to the source of the flash and where Erza should've had been, was no longer there... but inside of the card that Sho was holding.

"Erza!" Lucy cried.

"Sho! What are you doing!?" Simon yelled.

"Now then. Let us play." Jellal ended the transmission.

"I won't let anyone tough Sis!" Sho declared with crazed eyes.

"Hey! Sho!" Erza shouted through the card.

"I'll defeat Jellal myself!" Sho said, before turning and ran to where Jellal should be.

"Stop! You can't do it alone!" Simon exclaimed, running after him.

Lucy followed him as well. She was more worried about Erza more than Natsu. "Juvia! Gray! Find Natsu!" She yelled before disappearing into the shadows, ignoring the calls from her friends.

Couple minutes later, Lucy had lost sight of the men. Man they could run fast. But she continued to run in the direction she last saw them. Though she was terrified at how close this all hit close to home, reminding of the sensation of her running away from home. The sensation of how lost she was as she was right now.

Knowing the knight mage, she will try and stop Jellal before the tower is activated, by sacrificing herself. Though Lucy doesn't know how she will try and sacrifice herself, but Lucy will not let that happen. Some sacrifices are not worth it.

Couple minutes later, the blonde girl ran into a large room where a giant Sakura tree rested in the middle. She silently wondered how there could be a giant tree in a tower before spotting Sho. He stood next to someone else that seemingly had been defeated. Lucy immediately assumed it to be one of the warriors.

She ran up to the dark skinned mage. "What happened? Where's Erza?" She demanded.

Sho turned in surprised manner. "You!"

"Answer my question." Lucy repeated.

"Erza defeated her" Sho gestured to the fallen warrior on the ground. "Then she went to find Jellal to end things. She also told me to take you and your friends away from the tower before Etherion hits." Sho went to grab the blonde's arm to drag her out of the tower, but Lucy moved out of reach in anger.

Why is Erza doing this? Lucy had reminded her again and again that this isn't a fight to fight alone. She's not going anywhere. Period.

"You're going to have to go without me."

"But-"

Lucy interrupted him. "I have no intention of listening to what Erza wants. She's my friend, and I will not let her fight alone."

Sho gritted his teeth.

"Sho. Gather the others and leave without me."

The card mage stared at the blonde, seeing how stubborn she is. He could sense how much she wants to find Erza. He caved in at the thought of something bad that could happen to her. "Alright. Keep Sis safe."

Lucy took this as her cue to leave, and ran to where she assumed Erza would be headed: the top of the tower. Why is it always at the top of the tower? Why can't it be on the bottom of the damn tower?

Couple minutes of running up countless steps that seemed endless, she finally reached the top where she unmistakably could hear fighting noises. But then the ground begun to rumble violently before Lucy was blinded from a bright white light.

The only thing that ran through her mind was that she was too late. She couldn't reach Erza in time. Through the blinding light, Lucy could faintly see Erza on the ground, hugging another man, assumingly to be Jellal.

There was a slight pain in Lucy's chest that she didn't yet quite understand.

"Erza!" Lucy yelled to get their attention. But the rumbling of the earth seemed to cancel out her voice as the light became brighter and brighter. She crouched against the wall, bracing for the impact of etherion as the air shook violently and aggressively.

Everything became white when etherion finally shot down upon the tower, with everyone that was still in the tower.

Couple seconds later, or maybe longer than that, Lucy could still feel her heartbeat. She could still feel and smell and hear.

She was still alive.

Lucy slowly opened her eyes, and instead of seeing the same walls that she saw minutes ago, she was blue crystals instead. She looked around and saw the crystals everywhere.

The tower was a giant lacrima.

The blonde could a lot of magical energy from within the crystals. It took her a few minutes to realize that the way Jellal spoke earlier. He seemed so calm. It wasn't a gamble wasn't it? The etherion was all part of the plan. How did Jellal managed to make the council to shoot one?

Then she heard an angry scream that she knew it belonged to Erza. And she seemed angry.

Lucy stood back up and readied her keys in her hand and approached the site.

Getting a little closer, Lucy observe the fight to see what's happening so she could better understand the situation that they are in. Erza fighting with rage in her eyes as she fought Jellal. She lunged at the man again, but then she suddenly stopped and dropped her swords. Lucy couldn't faintly see some markings on Erza's skin that seems to be constricting Erza's movements.

Lucy stood up, deciding it was time to step in. She must save Erza. "Stop!" She yelled as she stepped closer to Erza and Jellal.

Erza turned her head when she heard a familiar voice. "Lucy?! What are you doing here? Leave!" She yelled. She didn't want the blonde to be here, should something happen to her. She didn't want that to happen.

"I came too far to stop now. And I promised. I won't let you sacrifice yourself." Lucy tightened her grip on her keys and raised her Leo key. Lucy had gone too far, four years after running away. It should've been filled with hardship as a runaway should've faced. But she ran into Erza that raining day, and had been there ever since. She'll be damned if she can't do the same for Erza.

"Interesting. I expected everybody to be gone already. So, what will you do?" Jellal smirked, figuring he'll have a few minutes to spare.

"I'm going to fight you."

"Lucy! Don't! Leave now!" Erza was frantic. She doesn't want Lucy to face Jellal. He'll will hurt her.

Jellal studied Erza's reaction for a moment, then looked at the blonde.

"Erza seems to be really fond of you. I shall destroy that." Jellal declared with a smirk.

"Lucy! Run!" Erza yelled and tried to move, but she was restrained.

Lucy raised her keys and was about to summon Leo, but then she felt a stinging pain on her stomach as she was kicked backwards.

"Lucy!" Erza yelled, trying to break free, but proved insufficient.

The blonde stood up, clutching her stomach from where she was kicked and noticed that she had lost her grip on her keys. She looked around and found her keys that wasn't too far away. But without her keys, she's defenseless, so she dived for her keys.

Inches away from grabbing her keys, she felt another painful kick in her stomach as she was kicked backwards, colliding violently against a rock of lacrima.

"Lucy! Above you!" Erza's voice rang in Lucy's ear.

Lucy looked up only too see a gigantic lacrima falling, falling straight toward the blonde mage. In her quick reflex, she rolled and dragged herself from the lacrima. But the pain in her stomach prevented her from moving too much. The giant lacrima slammed onto the ground and on Lucy's lower back and legs, creating a wave of dust that covered Lucy temporarily.

"LUCY!" Erza yelled with frantic worry. She struggled against the binding that held her in place. She really wanted to kill Jellal if something happened to Lucy.

Jellal smirked at the redhead's struggle.

When the dust finally settled, Lucy laid still and unmoving.

"LUCY!" Erza cried. "Say something damnit!"

Jellal laughed manically, laughing as she walked back to the redhead mage. "Are all your friends this weak?"

Erza glared murderously at Jellal, really wishing that she was not restrained. "Bastard! Say that one more time."

Jellal chuckled at that. "I'm afraid our playtime is over now sadly. I will now merge your body with the lacrima." He smirked as he summoned a specific lacrimma from the ground and pushed Erza into the lacrima without another word.

As Erza was pushed into the lacrima, she glanced at the fallen blonde under a giant lacrima, and turned to Jellal with murderous eyes and begun to break herself free. "You will pay for this, Jellal!"

Jellal laughed as he watched the redhead sinking into the lacrima, knowing that he is victorious. "I'm afraid there won't be a next time for you."

Erza kept thrashing against the pulling sensation of the lacrima and tried to break herself free. Damnit! There was a reason why she didn't want Lucy to be here. She wanted a sign to know if Lucy was still alive. Please be alive Lucy.

"LUCY!" Erza yelled, silently hoping that the blonde was still alive. She slowly sank deeper and deeper into the lacrima as it pulled her deeper. A single tear streamed down her cheek in frustration and anger and sadness.

Please be alive Lucy.

....

It hurts. She couldn't move. She doesn't know where she is. Where was she? Was she sitting? Standing? Swimming? It felt like she was swimming. The floating sensation like she weighed nothing.

Lucy looked out into the darkness before her. She couldn't see anything. It was to dark. Then there was a light before her. Something she recognized immediately. It was her younger self when she had finally ran away from her home.

Young Lucy was running through the rain, and had crashed into a young Erza.

Lucy smiled at the sight. Erza was cute when she was little. And she's even more adorable.

She smiled to herself, thinking how it was fate that brought her to Erza and Fairy Tail. She didn't want to think what things would be like if she had not met Erza.

The scene before her disappeared, and brought forth a new scene. The young girls were in Erza's room. Little Lucy just a nightmare, and Erza was holding her, comforting her with her gentle touch.

"Lucy...don't cry. I'm here for you." Those were the words that comforted Lucy the most.

"Lucy! I love you!"

Lucy turned around when she heard those words and saw the scene where Erza had said those words to her, and she was blushing up a storm.

She remembered this. On a second look on this scene, she noted how tense Erza was when she had said that. But why did Erza looked so disappointed afterward?

"What's wrong?" Lucy tried calling out to Erza, but got no response. She tried to put her hand on the redhead's shoulder to get her attention. But it went straight through her, like a ghost.

Panicking, she moved her hand away and looked at her hand, and noted that it was transparent before reverted to its solid state.

"Am... Am I dead?" Lucy wondered.

"Erza had been a wimp to ask you out." Natsu's voice echoed in the dark abyss.

Lucy was suddenly in the guild, with the young Lucy chatting with Levy. and Young Erza sitting at the bar, seemingly arguing with Mira.

Lucy faintly remembers this scene. Wasn't it after this mission of claiming a book called daybreak?

Lucy walked up to the young Erza, who continued to glare at Mira. Lucy couldn't remember why though.

"I failed! What else do you expect me to do?" Erza exclaimed, banging on the bar.

"Oh, my." Mira causally spoke, not even fazed by Erza's action

"No matter how many time I had told her, she doesn't understand. How can I make her understand?"

"What exactly had you told her?" Mira asked.

"'I told her that I love her and yet, she always thinks it's just a friendship love."

"Maybe you should give up on her?" Mira thought jokingly.

"Say that again." Erza dared as she glared at Mira.

"I was kidding. You should give it time, so Lucy can understand."

"Fine. Then in that case, I'll make sure that nobody tries to take her away from me."

"Oh, my. Then good luck." Mira is interested to see how this would turn out.

"Hmph. You're not much help anyway." Erza scoffed, taking a glance of the young Lucy laughing with Levy.

The scene begun to fade away, leaving Lucy alone with her thoughts. She doesn't understand what Erza had just said. Love...what is love?

There's friendship love and...isn't there another love where babies are created as a result?

Then images of the times Erza and Lucy had spent together flooded into Lucy's mind. The interactions they both shared, when they had been intimate, when they hugged, showered, held hands, smiled at each other

Every moment Erza and Lucy had shared and every single time, Erza's smiles was always the brightest.

Lucy had not seen the smile anywhere else other than when Erza was with her. What kind of love did Erza know? That Lucy do not know?

"Lucy is mine!"

"I've known her the longest!"

"I'm not handing Lucy over to anyone!"

"You're my princess, Lucy."

"I'll gladly fight for you."

Erza's voice of love and determination ringed in Lucy's mind.

How would you define it Erza? How would you define love?

...

"JELLAL!"

Lucy's eyes snapped open to the screaming murder. And the first thing that she registered was the immense pain on her back and legs. She scanned her surroundings and found that she was still at the tower of heaven. And she was still pinned by the giant lacrima that had knocked her out.

She couldn't get herself free on her own. Her own pain was too much to bear. She needed her spirits to help destroy the lacrima to free her. She scanned the area and saw that the keys were on her right, but damnit! They were out of reach.

She looked beyond and saw that Erza was on the ground, knocked out. And Natsu was in his rage mode, fighting Jellal. How long had Lucy been knocked out?

Then she sensed magic. Too much magic. Lucy looked around, sensing that magic was everywhere. She looked at one of the lacrima debris and could feel about clumped it was. There was too much magic in these lacrima. They wouldn't last for another few minutes or so. If that happens... then this whole tower would explode.

She turned back to the fallen Titania and recalled her dream or vision or whatever people would like to call it. She wonder if Erza was fighting for the love she feels.

Lucy took a deep breath and tried to wriggle herself out of the lacrima's grasp. But the pain too immeasurable. And she was completely pinned underneath.

The blonde violently cursed under her breath. She felt so useless right now. She needed her keys to free herself. She turned to her keys and eyed them for a moment before trying to reach out for it.

Hopefully it wasn't too out of reach.

Damn it! No such luck. Lucy was becoming desperate as she looked out to see Natsu and Jellal fighting to the death. Tower rumbling from the fight, and the imminent explosion from the overpacked lacrima tower.

"Open! The Gate of the Lion, Leo!" Lucy yelled in desperation. She didn't know what else to do. She tried to bring out her magic to summon her spirit, but it didn't work. She needs to touch the key itself for it to work.

Lucy repeated the words over and over. But nothing happened.

Another violent rumble made the tower shudder. Natsu spewing his flames everywhere, Jellal effortlessly avoiding the flames with his magic. The place was falling apart. Erza was still unconscious. And she was still trapped.

Lucy closed her eyes and tried to bring forth all of her magic in an effort to summon Leo. The blonde begun to shimmer a bright golden light as she screamed "I summon thee Leo!"

Not another second wasted, Leo finally appeared in a shiny golden light before her.

Leo took one glance before realizing the situation that Lucy was in. The blonde had just passed out after using all of her strength to summon her spirit.

Without hesitation, The spirit destroyed the lacrima that pinned the blonde, and moved Lucy to a safer distance so she wouldn't be caught in the crossfire between the fight of the dangerous mages. He placed the keys next to her and without any other request, Leo left to go back to his celestial world. So Lucy wouldn't been drained too much of her magic after summoning him.

...

Erza had swore that she wouldn't let it happen again. That she wouldn't be weak enough for people to sacrifice their life for her. As grandpa Rob had done. Now Simon had done the same.

She felt so weak. If this keeps up, how can she protect the ones she loves? Especially Lucy.

Lucy...

Erza stood up slowly and turned to where she had seen her last, and saw that she was no longer pinned underneath the lacrima. But she remained unconscious next to the debris of the lacrima.

Erza stumbled to the blonde's side and knelt next to her.

Erza bent down a little and whispered softly. "Lucy." She knows that the blonde loves her soft tone.

But Lucy wasn't responding.

"Lucy." Erza whispered again, nudging her a little.

Lucy remained quite and still.

The redhead placed her fingers on Lucy's neck to check for any signs of life.

Thump, thump, thump.

Erza sighed with relief. Still alive. But Lucy is still in bad shape. Now... how can she get Lucy to escape the tower, along with Natsu.

"Erza?"

Erza turned to the blonde when she heard her name, and saw Lucy looking back at her through her half-lidded eyes.

"Lucy!" Erza exclaimed, taking Lucy's hand in hers and gently squeezing it. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry." Lucy muttered.

"What?' Erza blinked.

"I don't really understand it myself. I'm sorry."

"What are you talking about? And why are you sorry?"

"The love that you would speak of, I really don't understand it myself." Lucy spoke through rugged breath. Her pain still restraining her.

"Even if you don't understand, I can teach you." Erza whispered, though she doesn't understand where this had come from.

"I'm sorry." Lucy was fading. "I'm...sorry..."

"You don't need to be sorry. Please tell me that you'll be okay and live?"

"..." Lucy's eyes were closes again.

"Lucy?" Erza shook her a bit, but got no response. "Lucy!"

Erza was growing more afraid. She didn't want to lose someone else. She didn't want to lose Lucy. She loved her too much.Erza was afraid. She didn't want to lose a friend...a family member...

"Damn you Jellal!" Erza cursed with anger.

Then the tower shuddered violently as something crashed into the tower. Dust spewing everywhere and Natsu came down, breathing heavily with cuts and dust littering his body.

When the dust settled, Erza saw that Jellal laid defeated and unconscious.

Erza stared at Natsu with astonishment. She didn't think the fire mage would be able to defeat Jellal.

Natsu took a deep breath, knowing that he stood victorious and turned to Erza with a smile before passing out from exhaustion.

Before Erza could do anything, the giant tower started to shake aggressively, lacrimas started to glow a bright blue. Erza knew what was about to happen. The magic is unstable, and its about to explode.

The knight mage looked at Lucy and Natsu before doing what she must do.

...

"Erza! Erza! Erza!" A repeating voice called out with desperation.

Lucy weakly opened her eyes to see a faint figure of Erza inside a lacrima and Natsu banging desperately on the lacrima that Erza was in.

"Even though I had told her not to?" Lucy hoarsely complained to herself. She couldn't move. Her whole body hurts.

Natsu turned when he heard a familiar voice. "Lucy!"

"Hey."

"Lucy! Erza is-"

"I know, can you save her?"

"Of course. And I'll save you as well!" Natsu declared with a determined look

"Don't worry about me. Take Erza and go. I can find another way out of here. I still have magic left to summon another spirit to take me to a safe distance." Lucy lied.

Lucy thought it had worked, since Natsu was convinced.

"Go, Natsu. Save Erza and go. I'll be right behind you." Lucy grabbed her keys and raised them to convince Natsu.

Natsu stared at the blonde before nodding. He then disappeared from sight, leaving the blonde alone on the ground with her keys. Lucy laid there pathetically as she stared at the sky in silence.

She wanted Erza to have another chance at life. She already got her own chance to live.

If Natsu tried to get them both out, Lucy was worried it might be too late. The tower was too close from exploding. Erza must live.

Lucy laid silently on the ground, and watched as her sight became white as the Etherion exploded once again.

...

The first thing Erza registered was stars. Beautiful stars glistening across the vast dark blue sky, and the air was cool. She knew she was still alive. Lucy... where is she?

Then she realized that Natsu was holding her, bridal style.

"Natsu? Where's Lucy?" Erza whispered, seeing that the blonde was no where to be found.

Natsu had a great nose. She knew everyone scent. But she could no longer sense Lucy. He started to regretting thinking that Lucy could summon another spirit to escape. He didn't say anything as he fell to his knees, letting Erza down on the soft wet sand.

Erza soon understand what the silent meant. "Why did you save me?"

"Lucy asked me to." Natsu glared into Erza's eyes.

Erza's eyes widened. "Lucy? She was still alive? Where is she?!" Erza cried.

Tears came down on Natsu's cheek. "I'm sorry."

Erza trembled. Lucy was gone, and...

"Erza!" A voice called out.

Erza turned and saw her friends running to her. But Lucy was not there. Lucy should've been with them. Sho should've brought Lucy with her...why?

When they were close enough, she glared at Sho. "Why didn't you take Lucy with you!?"

Everybody froze to those words.

"What are you talking about?" Gray asked.

Erza hung her head, tears streaming down on her left cheek. "Sho...I asked you to take everybody and escape."

Sho trembled when he allowed the words to sink in and he knew what happened. "But...she said that she would..." He could not find the words.

The group was silent, realizing that Lucy was gone.

Few seconds later, Natsu perked up and turned around, recognizing that smell. Gray noticed too and looked at the horizon. Juvia had hearts in her eyes as she looked in the same directions as them.

Erza noticed their behavior and turned to where they were looking at and realized what made them surprised. She immediately knew who it was.

She got up and ran to Leo, who was holding the celestial mage gently in his arms.

"Lucy!" Erza cried as she got closer. The blonde was still unconscious, and her injuries still looks bad.

Leo smiled sadly as they got closer. "Don't worry. Lucy is still alive. But I would recommend to take to her to a doctor for her injuries." He said as Erza gently took the blonde into her arms.

Erza cried, protectively holding Lucy in her arms. She was so glad to see that the blonde lives.

"Here." Leo handed Erza the keys that belonged to Lucy. "Take care of her." Leo smiled before disappearing.

Erza could hear it now, loud and clear. The beating sound of Lucy's heart. Lucy was still alive.

Thank goodness.

...

Lucy was floating once again. The same sensation as if she was swimming. She couldn't hear anything and everything felt so still. And the gentle light before her seemed so warm.

"Lucy!" A sudden voice boomed, changing Lucy's surroundings in an heartbeat.

Lucy was now in a grassy land, and she was facing her guild mates. They were smiling at her until a young Lucy ran straight through Lucy like she was a ghost, toward her guild mates.

What confused her was that her guildmates were older, and the little Lucy was the girl that had just joined the guild.

"It's because you had not grown yet" A voice called out, answering an unspoken question.

Lucy turned around when she heard a familiar voice and saw her Mother, with her gentle smile that she loved so much.

"Mother!" Lucy honestly would've never thought she would've see her mother again. "What you mean?"

Mother smiled, and looked at the scene of Lucy's guild mates. "Are you wondering why your friends are seeing your younger self?"

"'Huh?"

"Look." Lucy's mother gestured Lucy to look at her guild mates. "Why are they smiling at the younger Lucy and not you?"

Lucy looked back at her guild mates and studied them, trying to figure out why or what her mother was talking about.

The attitude of her friends, their reactions, emotions.

"I don't understand." Lucy confessed.

"You need to move forward. You are still afraid when there is no reason to be afraid." Her mother explained.

Lucy stared at the scene before her as it slowly dissipated.

"You must understand the difference between life and death. Love and hate. You have yet to understand them."

"But how does all of this as to do with what you're talking about?" Lucy asked.

"You must understand these things if you want to live, to protect others. Right now, your friends are seeing you as a younger Lucy, the one who still needs to be protected."

"Then...I'm weak?"

"In some cases, yes. But you have the potential to become stronger if you understand the principles of life and love and hate and death. Lucy, you are strong, you just need to believe in yourself."

Lucy stared at her mother, her dead mother. "Mother, how are you here? How am I talking to you? Am I dead?"

Her mother laughed. "You're still alive, by luck. And I'm here as a conscience within your mind, a memory of your own mother."

Lucy continued to stare at her mother. She had missed her smile, the way her eyes glisten in the sunlight, her gentle hands holding her, her sweet voice, a mother's love is what Lucy had missed the most.

Love?

"Mother, what is love?" Lucy hope that her mother will answer.

Lucy's mother only smiled. "Love is many things. You will have to figure them out yourself."

Before Lucy could say anything else, her mother begun to glow, becoming brighter and brighter until she disappeared, and the blinding light had engulfed Lucy completely, forcing her to shut her eyes to block out the blinding light.

...

Lucy opened her eyes again and was looking at a gray ceiling, and she was in pain. She felt like she had been hit by a train.

Lucy looked around to see where she was, finding Erza sleeping on a chair, resting her head on the bed Lucy was laying.

The Tower of Heaven, the giant lacrima, Jellal. Guess we had won. But, how did she survive? Natsu left without the blonde. Lucy didn't have any magic left, so who?

Lucy studied the sleeping face of the redhead and wondered exactly what kind of love she speaks of. Lucy now understand that it's not a friendship love, she understand that now, so what kind of love is it?

"Erza." Lucy silently called out so she won't agitate her wounds.

No response.

Erza sometimes was hard to wake up. There was only one way to wake her up that the blonde was found that she discovered to work. Lucy used her hand that was being held by Erza and squeezed it, and tugging it.

It worked.

Erza stirred, opening her eyes and glancing at Lucy.

It only took Erza five seconds to starting crying. "Lucy! You're awake!" Erza jumped on Lucy and held her tightly.

"Where are we?" Lucy asked, mentally wincing at the pain of her legs and lower back.

"We're still at the Akane Resort." Erza pulled back and smiled brightly.

"Where are the others?"

"I had forbidden them to enter. I figured you would want to quiet when you wake up."

"That's very thoughtful of you." Lucy smiled.

"Lucy...why did you stay? Instead of leaving with the others?"

Lucy blankly stared at the redhead. "I don't like the idea of you fighting alone. Also to stop you from sacrificing yourself to stop Jellal."

"You almost died!"

"So did you. Natsu had to save you." Lucy retorted.

Erza took a deep breath to calm herself. "What you had said before...what did you mean by it?"

Lucy tilted her head a little before realizing what she was talking about.

"You say that you love me...I now realize that it's not friendship love...so I don't really understand what kind of love that you are trying to tell me."

Erza blinked.

"Then why were you apologizing?"

"Because I thought I was going to die."

Erza sighed. "That's why I wanted you to leave the others."

"It's too late for that now. It's all over now."

Erza smiled. "Yes."

"Erza, what is love?"

Erza choked on her breath. "Love? I-I really don't know how to explain it..." Erza muttered embarrassingly, her cheeks becoming red.

Lucy pouted a little, but Erza blushing is sorta cute.