Waking Dreams (A Gruvia fanfiction)

Epilogue

The Fairy Tail guild hall had never really been the same since the Nightmare incident. The hole that Lucy left could never truly be filled. Although the guild members eventually adjusted to life without their dear friend, the pain was always there-just sometimes not as sharp. It had been a little over a year since that fateful day in the twisted labyrinth. The group that had been there was nearly recovered, trying to get on with their lives. However, they had all been changed by that experience.

Juvia and Gray were now officially a happy couple, with their marriage set for the spring. Both of them had been shaken by the experience for quite some time, but through the help of each other and the other guild members, they were now almost themselves again, although Juvia occasionally suffered terrible nightmares. Levy and Gajeel were also graciously paired together-with some help from Mira. However, Levy had never fully returned to who she had been, giving up writing completely in the process. Lisanna had been pulled even closer to the guild and her siblings through her second near-death experience, and Cana was just as drunk as ever. And yet, there were times when she would put down the bottle, a look of despair in her drooping eyes, and mutter a slurred but sad sentence about how she missed her dear friend. Wendy had gone through some rather hard times, even suffering from PTSD for months. And though she seemed to be getting over it, the small mage would sometimes have a terrible flashback or panic attack.

Natsu was in the worst shape out of them all. He constantly criticized himself, sure that there had to have been some way he could have gotten out of that situation. Surely there was a loophole, a way that they could have all walked out of there alive. There had to have been some way...There had to have been a way for him to tell her he loved her before it was too late. Sadly, it was too late. All that was left of Lucy was her old apartment(now owned by an old lady who partied way too late)and her keys. Natsu had kept her keys, careful not to lose a single one. Despite the fact that he knew they could be sold for good money and put to good use, he could not bear to get rid of them. Getting rid of the keys would mean getting rid of everything that remained of his beloved.
     At this particular point in time, the guild hall was full of loud laughter and chatter. There was nothing special to celebrate-just the normal activity of Fairy Tail. It was one of the few times the guild had been this happy since they had returned without Lucy.
     While everybody partied, letting their worries fly away for even a small moment, Natsu sat at a wooden table, fingering Lucy's keys.
     "Natsu, don't you want to fight somebody or something?" The voice belonged to a familiar red-haired mage.
     "Erza," he began, "Thank you for the gesture, but...I'd rather be left alone for now," the dragon slayer tried to give the impression that he was somewhat okay, faking a smile. He could see the pain in Erza's eyes, but knew that she would do what made him happy, at least for now. He was hurting his friends but had no idea how to stop. It was as though he was drowning, pulling them down with him.
     If only he could just see Lucy one more time...
     If only he could smell that familiar scent once more...
     If only he could glimpse into her starry eyes, or admire her silky hair...
     Never again.
     Natsu knew that Lucy would never return. Despite this knowledge, he still wished that somehow, he could just see her one more time.

     Countless people, friends, actually, attempted conversation with him that night. Although he tried to talk with them, his mind kept wandering back to the dead celestial mage.
     When they had first returned, everybody told him that he would heal eventually. And though he had certainly improved from the days he locked himself inside his house, he couldn't help but wonder if those people had been lying. How long would it take for his wounds to close? When would he be able to close his eyes without seeing her face? Natsu was beginning to think that it was never going to happen.

     The pink-haired mage dragged himself home that cold night, Happy trailing beside him. The stars shine too brightly for Natsu's pleasure, causing him to focus his sight solely on the stone ground in front of him. He nearly ran into people a few times, each time getting farther away from avoiding him.
     He didn't even see the man in front of him before he ran into him. The dragon slayer muttered an apology, then attempted to walk on.
     A firm hand to his chest stopped Natsu in his tracks.
     "I have news," a familiar voice drifted to Natsu's ears.
     "Loke?" Natsu gasped, looking up to find the celestial spirit.
     "Let's go to your place. This is some pretty big information."

     "So how are you here without a mage to open your gate?" Natsu asked, taking a seat at his small table across from Loke.
     "I kept my own door open for years, remember? This is nothing. But I don't have long. We have to make this quick," Loke spoke with a soft urgency.
     "Alright, let's hear it," Natsu grumbled, looking away.
     Loke leaned forward across the table, capturing Natsu's eyes with his own.
     "This is very important. You have to believe me, okay?" He took a deep breath before continuing, "It's about Lucy."

So remember how I said this would be out months ago? Yeah, I lied.
Thank you guys so much for sticking with me and reading this book! The sequel will contain Loke's mysterious news about Lucy and other adventures. It will probably come out after I finish The Soul's Fire, but I might get excited and start it early. Stay tuned for the sequel to Waking Dreams: Natsu and Loke-Bro Quest to the Spirit World!
hahahaha, that's totally not going to be the title, but you get the gist.

Until next time,
~Kinichi