Chapter Text
“We feel the exact same way. Never do anything like this again…Never again!” - Natsu
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Natsu groaned as he slowly drifted back to consciousness, his body immediately beginning to clamour for his attention as every single injury he’d received came to life in a sickening flash of fire. However, before he could start to take an inventory of his body, and whatever damaged he had taken while he was unconscious, he became aware of the violent shaking beneath hi,. Fighting the almost instantaneous nausea that welled up at the motion, and cursing his weak stomach, he somehow found the strength to raise his head. His eyes immediately widening in alarm as he realised that not only was he still in that thrice-damned Tower of Heaven, but that the thing was in the process of coming down around his ears. Suddenly his earlier attempts at destroying didn’t seem like such a brilliant idea, and he flinched as part of the ceiling crashed down a little to close for comfort.
Biting his lip against the pain and trying not to make a noise, not sure if there were still enemies in the area, he attempted to lift himself up with shaking arms, nearly falling flat on his face as they threatened to collapse. With sheer stubbornness, he locked his elbows so that he remained partially raised, unsure if he could actually make it all the way to his feet at this point. He was beginning to topple, ready to fall back and admit defeat, when a soft gasp of pain that wasn’t his own caught his attention, and he glanced up only to feel his heart threatening to stop as his gaze fell on Erza.
“Erza…”He whispered with a sense of dawning horror as his gaze moved over her to where her arms were gradually being sucked into the lacrima behind her. A lacrima that was deforming as the tower rocked around them, Erza crying out again, voice sharp with pain as she dragged inch by inch into the magical container right in front of his very eyes.
“Natsu…” Despite how quiet his voice had been, and even with the tower rumbling and groaning around them, Erza had managed to hear his whisper, and she twisted to look at him. He immediately wished that she hadn’t frozen in place by the grim determination in her eyes, and the guilt twisting her face into an anguished mask. It was an expression that didn’t belong on her face, just as the tears earlier hadn’t suited her, and he couldn’t keep the waver out of his voice as he finally moved again, trying to push himself upright.
“W-what are you doing Erza?” He demanded, even though deep down a part of him had already connected the dots, knowing what she was attempting to do. However, he was desperately trying to ignore that. Trying to deny what she was doing, because there was no way she could be doing something so reckless and idiotic. Was there? “Your body’s going into the lacrima….” The lacrima was still shifting, loosing more and more of its shape by the minute and pulling Erza further and further into its depths, and he swallowed when there was no immediate denial. Realising with a thrill of terror that she was actually leaning into it, rather than fighting the consuming pull, deliberately allowing it to consume her. “Erza?!”
“This is the only way to stop the Etherion,” Erza murmured, not looking at him properly, even though she managed to sound as calm as she did when they were discussing the simplest of jobs. Even when fresh pain flickered across her face whenever the lacrima contracted, her voice and expression didn’t shift, not even when she lifted her head to meet his panicked gaze.
“Stop the Etherion…?” He repeated, confused, wondering just how much he’d missed while unconscious, cursing himself for not holding on and getting them both out of there straight away.
“Yes. Look around us.” Erza gestured with her free hand, and reluctant to look away from her even for a second Natsu followed her gesture, swallowing as he realised that deformation was worse than he had thought. The walls of the chamber bulging in numerous places, while cracks were spreading steadily through the more solid parts of the tower, another loud rumble echoing around them as more and more of the ceiling crumbled above them. "The etherion is out of control and will destroy the tower in an enormous explosion any minute now!” Erza’s voice was beginning to rise now, some of her calmness disappearing as another large chunk of the ceiling came away, crashing down behind them and sending shards and dust in their direction. Her voice cracking as she fought to stifle the pained noises that she could no longer hold back, as she continued to be drawn further inside. “But if I can merge with the Etherion and restrain it…!”
Merge? It took a moment for what she was proposing to register, his throbbing body and hazy mind making it hard to focus, and he paled when it finally hit home. Especially, when he saw the glint in her eyes. The determination that she was famed for shining through. She’s serious…She was going to stand there and let it consume her, and for what…?
“Are you insane?!” The question slipped out before he could stop it, horror and panic twisting his expression, and lending him the strength to finally force his battered to its feet, although his legs threatened to immediately give way again. “If you do that, you’ll…!” He couldn’t even bring himself to vocalise the thought as he staggered forward, nearly biting through his lip to hold back the pain. Determined to reach Erza and yank her free before she could continue with this nonsense. Before she can get herself killed. Because that was how this would end, and she had talked about it so calmly, so rationally, and his eyes burned fiercely. As though he ’d ever let her sacrifice herself to save them, especially after everything she had just been through, the pain and hurt that they should have been able to shield her from.
Unfortunately, his determination wasn’t any match for the injuries and exhaustion he was suffering, and he had barely managed to stumble more than a few steps before his knees buckled, sending him crashing to the ground, and forcing a pained shout past his lips. However, he quickly shoved through it, forgetting about it entirely when Erza screamed this time, and he lifted his head, realising with growing terror that both her arms were now trapped inside the lacrima. “Erza!”
“Don’t worry about a thing. I will stop it!” She panted through gritted teeth, clearly struggling to maintain her calmness now that the pain was visibly increasing, but there was no wavering in her determination much to his dismay.
“Stop!” Each gasp of pain and the cries that she was no longer able to fully hold back was torture for the Dragon-Slayer, and he could feel his eyes starting to burn as he desperately dragged himself towards her. He lacked the strength to rise again, but he was determined to reach her, crawling forward not caring how pathetic he might look. “Stop! Erza!” He was pleading now, desperation in his voice, as more and more of his friend disappeared into the lacrima, collapsing in an exhausted heap just short of her and raising frantic eyes to meet her gaze.
“Natsu… I can’t live without Fairy Tail, I can’t even imagine a world without my friends.” She was smiling now as she spoke, even as tears of pain glistened in her eyes, reaching out to cup his face with surprising gentleness and for some reason that made everything that much worse. How? How could she smile so happily when she was throwing her life away? He couldn’t understand. No, he didn’t want to understand. The burning in his eyes developing into proper tears now as he realised that she wasn’t going to back down from this crazy idea, that she had accepted what was going to happen and was sticking to it. “That’s how important all of you are to me.” That’s how important you are to me, Natsu, she added privately as she stared resolutely into his eyes. She hated the pain and fear she could see swimming in the olive depths, and the fact that this time she had been the one to put those emotions there. Of all of them, he was the one she least wanted to hurt and seeing his tears she knew that she had failed in that…and that she was making it worse with each inch of her body that sank into the lacrima.
“Erza,” Natsu could barely speak now, his throat closing around the sobs threatening to well up. Couldn’t she see that everything she said applied to him and the rest of their friends? Their family? Did she really think for a moment that any of them could be happy again if she gave herself up for them? Desperately he fought to find the words to tell her just that, to tell her that she was the heart of Fairy Tail and that there could be no Fairy Tail without her, his gaze falling as he frantically searched for the words that might stop her.
“If I can save you all, I won’t hesitate for even a moment.” The confidence and air of finality in her voice forced him to look up once more, an icy shard of terror piercing him when he saw that all that remained free of the lacrima at this stage was her face. Her smile grew wider as she met his gaze with shining eyes as she slowly spread her arms wide in a gesture of offering, the lacrima casting an eerie blue cast over her. “I will gladly give up this body!” She shouted the last bit a second before the rest of her face was drawn inside the lacrima, a faint shimmer moving across the surface as it sealed itself against any further intrusion and that finally gave the Dragon-Slayer the strength to move again. Albeit more unsteadily before as he lunged forwards.
“Erza! Come out, Erza!” Natsu pleaded desperately as he slammed his fists against the surface of the lacrima over and over, oblivious to the pain he was inflicting on himself as tears streamed unchecked from his eyes. He could see her floating away from him, a serene smile on her face as she gazed at him for a long moment before her eyes drifted shut and he felt something important inside of him break at that moment.
“ERZA!” He howled throwing himself against the lacrima in sheer desperation, unaware of the fresh blood forming on his hands from his frantic attempts to break the vessel. “Erza!” He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think as he threw himself again and again against the unyielding barrier keeping him from her. He was blind to the power building around him, or the dazzling light filling the air. His entire being was focused on reaching her, on saving her, even as the Etherion finally exploded around him.
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Natsu, I leave the others in your hands… I’ll always be right there with all of you…