Song: Never Forget
    By: Halo 3

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~Natsu~

Levy sat on the infirmary as Wendy operated her magic to mend the bruising on her cheek and abdomen. "Well, though it felt like you broke a rib you didn't. Regardless, you do have internal bleeding in your smaller intestines line but it's a good thing you both came back at the nick of time. It was an easier fix before the intestine ruptured." Levy, no longer in her Dark Knight form, smiled at the Sky Maiden. "Thank heavens. When her fist connected I could actually perceive her anger; her unbridled fury that trembled my very bones. It was pretty scary if Natsu hadn't intervened." I rolled my eyes. "Don't you mean when Lucy forgot you and enacted to break me next?"

"Hey," Levy exclaimed. "She did not break me, but only left me a nasty bruise." I pat my hand on Levy's shoulder. "Sure Levy. I can agree with that." I stepped back going to the other person resting on an infirmary bed. I obtained the second shard and yet her heart is still weak. It feels like I haven't accomplished anything to help her because of the current condition she's still in. I held Lucy's hand in mine when Wendy finished. "There we go! Try not to get in another fight for a little while alright?" Levy sat up in the bed rubbing her abdomen that was healed. "Even though the bruise is gone, the pain is still ingrained in my memory. My brain is warning me to not touch it otherwise it'll hurt."

"It will be a few days until the memory of the pain fades. It occurred not even an hour ago so your body is still responding from putting up with an unbelievable portion of trauma. Also, Gajeel would have destroyed Natsu if I didn't heal you when I did." Levy waved her off. "Gajeel is a big softie when it comes to my safety. It must be a Dragon thing they have." The girls laughed whilst I only smiled. "Or~," Wendy sang. "he likes you a bunch." That caused Levy to blush like a cherry. "Wendy!"

"Can you check Lucy's vitals?" I asked killing the fun atmosphere the girls built. Wendy's head sunk and gave a small nod. "Of course." Wendy moved forward hovering her hand over Lucy's chest when she closed her eyes. Wendy's magic surged over Lucy from the top of her head down to her toes wave after wave. When Wendy finished, she looked up at me. "Levy, can you leave us for a moment?" Levy's eyes widened until she nodded. When Levy slithered through the infirmary door Wendy pulled my hand to hers'. "Natsu, there's no easier way to tell you this,"

"Then just say it." I snapped making Wendy startled. "N-Natsu...there's not much time left for Lucy. I'm afraid by the end of the second week is over...she'll be gone by then." Bad news. It's always bad news for Lucy. Even achieving Sight in four days and finding the Second Shard wasn't enough? "So you're saying...I have ten days to find the three remaining Shards?" Wendy agreed. "Possibly less if her health proceeds to worsen." I closed my eyes plunging into oblivion. What I just heard made me lose all senses in reality; all but my sense of Sight. I could see Magic even in the smallest atom next to me down to the very core of EarthLand. It was erratic jumping around like a ball of energy. It was going into chaos as the Balance was slowly deteriorating away. Magic itself was dying as we speak, and there was nothing I could do. Everything I tried was never good enough. I was never enough to protect the ones I love. I'm just an idiot fire mage without a father that left and a girlfriend that's on her deathbed. Not even Fairy Tail could pull me from the void I was declining into. Every second I breathed it was a struggle to continue, it was hard to even exhale. My very soul felt like it was ripping itself apart from my eternal suffering. If Lucy couldn't feel it then it must only be me that has to endure for the both of us. That must be it since I can't save her like last time. She killed herself...again.

"Natsu?" Wendy's voice receded when I suddenly clutched my hand over my chest. My heart was racing faster than I could keep up that I swore I was wailing. It was the same pain I felt when Lucy's soul tore itself from her body, but it was unfolding ten times the actual pain I first felt. Maybe my heart was going to erupt from the intense pain I was undergoing. "Natsu!" Suddenly there was nothing when I impacted the ground. Lucy's hand slipped from mine as I withered in suffering. I knew what it was because the shard of Lucy's soul was slipping from my own soul.

Our Souls Connection is weakening.

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Pain. The more I think back to my human life the more I can remember was nothing but pain. When being alive, do all people feel nothing but pain? If I was happy then why was I in so much agonizing pain? Even in the Abyss, I felt pain. I struggled to stand and continue to find answers to see why I'm here. Hades told me to go back to the beginning of it all. I remember my life before being a human, I remember how I became Lucy Heartfilia, but what happened afterward?

Two forces came to mind when I stopped wandering. I know the two opposing forces because in a way they are also me. They fight, a lot. All the time that it hurts me too. But if they're me then why are they so different? The Gods, it was never part of their plan to have them in their world. They were made accidentally, and were detested. Not just by the Gods but also hated each other. They fought for the sake of Balance. Balance...it includes Balance. Seraphina was gifted with Light to soothe the pain of her lost parents, and yet because of this chaos had fallen to the Gods Realms. Without Darkness, there couldn't be Light.

Light. Darkness. Two forces who are me but aren't. They are what make the Balance. They are what make me the Balance. They are the reason I am able to control Order and Chaos, whereas the Gods can only use Order to do their bidding. The Gods fear my Order and Chaos. They fear I will awaken my eyes and find even more power in me. They want not only me dead, but the Balance as well. Without the Balance then Magic will die with it. A lifestyle the people of the Gods Realm has come accustomed to...gone.

I must continue on with my forgotten memories. Hades told me I knew something but has become long forgotten. If the Gods want me dead then it must be for something extremely big. Big enough that it will impact the Five Realms. I still can't remember what he means. If I'm supposed to recognize what he means then how will I even know if it's even right? I think back to when I was still made of clay. Every now and then the Gods would check to see how the development was for their new Dark One. Beings made entirely of energy, tall and bodiless, beautiful, and glorious by what they were. They never spoke but instead used the energy around them to communicate. I'm sure Hades was able to understand them because he seemed to not look bewildered when he carried on with his work. Like last time I left my mold to follow the Gods.

They always strolled. Never did they stop and rest. Three figments of energies that continued to speak without a voice. Somehow, I could understand them too. They believed I wasn't following procedure since it was apparently my fault Hades wasn't finished with the body model yet. If they could feel I'm sure they were concerned about why their plans weren't moving faster than they liked. They almost appeared distressed about the sake of their plan. So they kept moving. Always moving. Never stopping. So fast I could hardly keep up with them. Then one actually halted causing the other two to stop. When they halt it appeared the energy around them froze. Now they were speaking quietly, planning a new form of their creations. But first, what should they do with the old one?

It was hard to hear them from how soft they whispered to each other. But I heard what they said. I know I did because the memory is itching at me, taunting me to remember. I'm so close I can almost say it. I don't understand why I'm having a tougher time recalling what they said; it's almost like something is deterring me from saying it. Could it be the Gods? If so why are they pushing against me to not remember their conversation? There's only one way to find out, to continue to dig deeper.

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~Natsu~

I was standing before The Magic Council. I didn't understand why I was here or what I had done. If I had the power to speak I would be spitting fire at them. "So, this is the demon that had brought onslaught to Fiore?" One of the old people recited rendering me confused. A demon? What the hell were they talking about!? "This doesn't seem like a demon but just a helpless little girl."

Girl?

I looked around from my wrists to my chest. Yep. This was a girl's body I was in. There was also something heavy that I held on my back that kept itself between my shoulder blades. With my back muscles, I managed to move the large objects to examine what the hell was on my back. They were wings and not just any wings. With the single scar from her first battle in Aria, I knew who I was. I was in Lucy's body.

What. The. Hell.

"Wings? Come now be more serious about your punishment Miss Heartfilia. Show me your true power." A woman with a dreadful voice ordered. My lips moved on their own. "Wait just-" Something bashed itself in my head making me fall to my knees. I felt blood trailing from my skull to the back of my neck. Stars danced in my vision when a man spoke out. "I can help her Council, just let me have a moment with her." Hands picked up a strand of Lucy's hair suddenly breathing it to his nose. What was he doing?! He spoke into my ear but I was frozen. He commenced to jerk and pull on Lucy's hair when she let out a cry! I couldn't do anything but listen and watch! What was happening! Instinctively I draped the wings around 'me' to prevent him from touching Lucy's body. But as he fought the layer between him and Lucy's vulnerable flesh there was a voice echoing Lucy. The man hit and abused his weapon to bring Lucy to the ground, and the Council just stared with satisfaction. My blood was burning with fury. I never knew this happened. Lucy never told me! If this man is still alive I'll burn him to ashes...

Lucy stopped fighting against the man. She extended her left arm revealing the veins of the Dark One before squeezing the man's throat. "Humans will never touch my host against her will. I may be Darkness, but only I and the Light can harm our host!" It was the two voices when Lucy falls into her Balanced Form. I didn't see what happened next until I saw an energy of power form in Lucy's hand that caused the man's torso to be obliterated. He couldn't even lay a scream out until they ripped his body apart. There was nothing left but a pile of torn flesh. All that was left was a horrified expression on his deceased face.

~~~

I snapped my eyes open heaving after what I witnessed. My clothes clung to my skin due to the amount of sweat rolling down from my violent dream. No, it wasn't a dream, and it certainly wasn't a premonition. That must've been one of Lucy's memories... How could I be experiencing Lucy's memories now?!

"We just keep meeting after you're awake." Hades was relaxing in the corner where Lucy was still hooked up to multiple machines. I wiped my face whilst sniffing from what must have been tears I shed in my sleep. "What the hell was that? Why did I see Lucy's memories, and why that one of all things..." Hades clasped his hands together leaning forward. "Did you know when someone dies they relive their entire life within a millisecond? I've seen millions of lives before a single drop of rain hits the ground. It's amazing, yet terrifying to watch as they relive their days alive." I ripped the sheets off me huffing. "So? You didn't answer my question..." Hades got up on his feet. "Just like the peculiar predicament she's in now, Lucy's memories are also unusual. Normal people see their lives within an instant, but Lucy's is happening at an exceptionally slow pace. Since you hold a shard of her soul, and without Lucy to relive her final moments, it appears you are now doing that for her."

"Make it stop," I growled standing up. "I just watched the woman I love being assaulted by a man! That same man being blown to bits by an energy Lucy created which I have never seen her do before! Stop the memories!" Hades looked down. "I can't. What I've just told you is the final stage of someone passing away. Lucy's immortality is growing weaker as is your Connection. I hope you've noticed." I clenched my jaws from frustration. "I have! You're Death so stop this and slow it down!"

"If I could I would have already done that. If you don't realize it then let me be clear. Lucy is in the process of dying! You should know this by now since her heart is growing weaker every day you waste! After the memories are done, and after her heart is no longer beating, there's no chance for her to come back. The three remaining shards are our only hope!" Hades abruptly stood up pointing at me with resentment. "And you, have wasted a day. Nine more days and Lucy is gone!"

It's his fault.

"Are you blaming me for this!?" I felt my nails tearing into my palm from how tight my fists were. Veins popped in my forearms whilst my muscles became tense. "Because if you are accusing me of doing this to Lucy, then your memory is sorely mistaken." The air around me began to spark like firecrackers. "Because it wasn't me that decided to run after her in the woods! It wasn't me that had done Lucy's bidding and STARTED THIS! IT WASN'T ME THAT PUT HER IN THIS STATE ON THE BRINK OF DEATH!"

"No. It wasn't you." Hades peered down at Lucy's face. "I thought I was only helping her, though I knew it would only harm her. My selfishness and jealousy is the reason I put not only her through this, but you as well. You have every right to kill me if that were possible."

He lies. He stole the woman you love for himself.

"Why!? If you knew it was wrong then why try to kill Lucy!" Hades grew still. Was he jealous of how close Lucy and I were? Was he jealous because he couldn't live a human life like Lucy was able to? "Natsu, some things shouldn't be said. If I tell you-"

"Tell. Me. Now." It was becoming hotter every second my rage grew. If I didn't calm down I knew I would burn our Guild Hall to nothing but ashes; along with the people in it. Hades closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. "Very well. First, may I ask you to steady yourself. The room is exhibiting heat waves from your magic power." It was difficult for a moment. The Light and Darkness that crept their way into my mind was troublesome to push them out. I inhaled, then exhaled continually until the air around me cooled down. I had to be calm and in control. I had to do what Lucy did to control. I had to control my emotions.

"I'm fine now," I muttered through my teeth before sitting back down on the bed. Hades returned to his chair next to Lucy. "Please remember, this was years ago. Long before you or even Fairy Tail was created. Before Lucy became a human with a soul she forged, I was a Bringer that didn't understand the ways of human emotions. I learned human ethics, language, even the many cultures of your kind. But emotions, I could never comprehend. If you don't know, the universe has a Law of its own. The Gods must oblige the Law as should the Bringers. The one Law I must follow is to never connect to any living thing." He paused from speaking for a moment.

"You may believe I'm lying, but the Gods love their creations. They love humans and the EarthLand Realm. They love the Celestial Spirits that reside in the Celestial Realm. The Law the Gods must stand by are three, simple principles. One, to love all creatures they create. Second, to never harm an innocent soul, no matter the reason. And third, to keep the Universe forever balanced. When they created the Light Goddess, chaos broke out and nearly destroyed everything the Gods created, including themselves, was almost vanquished by the chaos." Hades crossed his legs in an uneasy manner. "So when Seraphina became the Light Goddess, the Gods made the Dark One for the sake of Balance. However, with the Gods energy being open to the Realm, it became something. It transformed into Etherious, known as Magic that now streams in your and most of EarthLand's blood. Magic grew incredibly powerful that an unnamed Fifth Realm was formed so that Magic could flow throughout the other four remaining Realms. Seraphina made the StarLight Realm as a sanctuary for the Light, but Zelroath made the Midnight Realm to make the Darkness even stronger. The Gods original plan was for only two Realms to exist. However," Hades said with his hand up. "The Gods nevertheless loved Seraphina and Zelroath. They were their still children that they created. To them, Zelroath was just misguided because his soul held the corruption of Darkness." Hades hung his head, his eyes gazing to the unconscious girl between us. "That's when...they had to improvise..."

"The Gods...improvising?" Hades nodded. "Yes. This was something they had never done before. They needed a new host for the Darkness, but the host couldn't be constructed by them. The way the Gods were born is unknown. Not even I know how they came to be. But, after I created Lucy, I think I figured it out. I believe the Gods were created by a Bringer. I'm not sure who created them, because after the Gods emerged there was no one. Perhaps there may have been a Bringer from a different...place or a different time?" Hades sighed shaking his head. "Explaining the cosmos to a human is awfully complicated. Please just keep an open mind."

"My mind's been open when I saw Lucy pop wings out of her back. Carry on."

"Back to my discussion, the Gods asked if I could make the new host. I didn't have a beating heart, and the host wouldn't have a soul that would become corrupted. It was that simple! Make a host and carry on with it. That was until she stole a piece of the Light Goddess's soul, and made it her own. It was then Lucy cried for the very first time, and I broke the Bringer's sacred Law. I connected with my creation." I glared at the Bringer. "You're taking your time to tell me why you decided to try and kill Lucy."

"Natsu," Hades whispered now concealing his face. I noticed the man shaking with his leg jumping up and down in place. "Lucy and I connected. We share a heartbeat, we share each other. If Lucy dies then so does my heart. A Bringer can never die but my humanity can. I'm scared of losing what I felt the very first time I laid my eyes on her clay face." Slowly, too agonizingly slow for me, Hades drew his eyes to mine. "At one point, Lucy and I loved each other."

There it was.

The revelation that I should have known. Maybe deep down I knew. There were times Lucy would smile when she talked about him. Sometimes her cheeks would flush when he would appear out of thin air. I wondered if she knew at the time why she felt towards him in such a way? "So...you both loved each other," I stated tightly gripping my knees. Hades agreed. "Yes. I should tell you now that I still love her. I have always loved Lucy, Natsu. It's the entire reason all of this has happened. Everything the moment she shed her tears, has been the downfall of me. The Gods can't understand why they don't love Lucy, because they didn't create her. To them, her soul isn't innocent because it was stolen. She carries the Darkness and Light, and she made her own soul. Only a God can create a soul, which in a way Lucy is a God. By the time she remembers her past, she may discover her feelings for me again."

"This is what you wanted all along wasn't it!?" I hissed at him. "You wanted to kill Lucy that way you would have her for yourself! Even if it meant you could never feel emotions again she would be yours to never share! You sick son of a bitch!" It looked like I just stabbed Hades as he twisted his head back from my venomous words. "I...I only wanted Lucy to be happy. I have been selfish from the moment I fell in love. I couldn't help myself Natsu! It's not me that can hold her, or kiss her, not even love her the way you do! I...envy you."

"Well, here's news for you Hades. If Lucy dies before I gather the three remaining shards I don't care how long it takes me. I will find a way to end your miserable life. If I have to sell the remaining half of my soul to the UnderLord himself then so be it. You may be Death, but I am one very pissed off Dragon Slayer." I pushed myself to stand to leave the room. Right when I forcefully pulled the door opened Hades called me. "Natsu," He said with remorse. "I promised Lucy to save your soul. Until you attempt to kill me, let me save you first." I snapped my head back to the Bringer. "Then your promise is already broken."

I slammed the door shut. I knew what I had to do next for the Third Shard. All I needed was to find a Celestial Mage to take me to the Celestial World. That's where I will find Lucy next.

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Assssss always...love you all!❤️