Lucy P.O.V

"You sure your up for this?" I asked as I turned to Levy. It had been three days since I came home and Gajeel told me about her symptoms,  Levy asleep in his lap. We were only going to meet the boys at Miras, but she insisted she wanted to run. " I'm positive. My callouses are going away." She giggled as she wiggled her slender fingers at me. I couldn't help but laugh and roll my eyes as I pull my hair into a pony tail. " Well come on then!" I shouted as I took off at a run, quickly scaling the wall in front of our house. I glance back to make sure she was following me before taking off across the roof and leaping to the next house.

We kept up an easy pace, her close on my heels. The bar came into sight and I grinned as I saw the boys waiting, Natsu waving at me. I turned back to check on Levy as I leapt to the last roof. She was keeping a steady pace, but as she neared the roof, I saw her eyes widen slightly. Then she slowed. Idiot! Don't slow down before a jump! I mentally scream at her and halted my own run, turning back towards her. She hit the edge of the roof, and her face contorted slightly as her leg gave out from underneath her, and she plummeted to the ground below. I quickly skidded down the side of the building, pulling ahead of her slightly and jumped back across the gap, grabbing her by the shirt collar before grabbing a balcony and pulling us to a stop.

"Thanks Lu," she croaked out, grabbing onto the railing and pulling herself up. She wasn't using her right leg. Before I could say anything, the boys peered over the roof I had been standing on. " The hell happened?" Gajeel demanded as he slid down the roof and lept to the balcony we were at."Levys leg gave out. " I said quietly before she could brush it off. Gajeel paled slightly as he helped Levy onto the balcony and she had to lean against him. Natsu came down and pulled me onto the balcony as well, his face a hard mask as we looked at our tiny friend.

" Guys I'm fi-" " Dont give us that crap Levy!" Gajeel nearly shouted. Levy sighed slightly as she looked down at her dead leg. " I just..." she fumbled for words as her voice cracked slightly.  Gajeel sighed slightly and turned around, kneeling with his back to her. " Come on... Let's just go get something to eat. Don't cry." He added quietly.  I wasn't sure how he could tell her eyes were watering without looking at her, but she nodded before rubbing her eyes and carefully climbing onto his back.

He wrapped his arm around her dead leg while she clung to his neck before he carefully made his way to the ground. I went to follow but Natsu grabbed my arm and I looked at him. " What is it Natsu?" I asked quietly. He looked down at our two friends as they made it to the ground. " Go on a run with me tonight." He said softly before looking at me with his deep black eyes. " We can't let Levy go any longer without the serum, and we are going to be needing it soon too." He explained at my confused look. " But why me? Why not Gajeel?" I asked. He grinned and I felt my heart speed up slightly. " I can't pull him away from Levy right now, and besides. He's great and all, but I'd rather have you by my side." I blushed at that, smiling slightly. I'm sure he didn't mean it in a romantic way, but that didn't stop my heart from fluttering. I wouldn't admit it, even to Levy, but I had a crush on Natsu. From that first night he snuck into our house I hadn't been able to get him out of my head. We had been spending more and more time together, and I began to realize,  slowly but surely, I was falling in love with him.

I nodded and grinned at him,"Right! After sunset then?" I asked as we began to climb after out friends, who had effectively abandoned us. He nodded before casually draping his arm across my shoulders and leading me into the bar. Gajeel and Levy had saved us seats at our favorite booth and were talking quietly. Natsu and I slid in just as Mira brought four bowls of her famous stew over, which we immediately tucked into. We sat for hours, simply talking about nothing. Levy wanted to try and rescue some books from the abandoned Library,  Gajeel said no. Natsu wanted to dig around in an old fireworks factory, I said no. By the time Natsu and I left Gajeel and Levy, who was nursing a nosebleed, the sun had sank low into the horizon.

We headed for the warehouse district,  hoping to catch a shipment that was coming in in roughly an hour. Natsu, shockingly,  had done his research and had already staked out the warehouse. It was at the edge of the city, dangerously close to an area that, last time it was checked, had high radioactive levels. Any more than an hour in the area would result in irreversible damage.

We sat on top of a near by warehouse quietly, watching as the shipment came just on time, unloaded, then left abandoned for collecting the next morning. We waited to make sure no one came before sliding down the roof and leaping to it. Like most of the warehouses, this one had windows on the roof that we climbed through. Once inside we began digging around, trying to find where they had stashed the shipment.

The lights were suddenly flicked on, and we froze midrumage. I was immediately reminded of the time Levy and I got caught, the scars on my back burning at the memory. The sound of the sniffers snapping jaws and coughing barks sent us scrambling up the cargo racks and for the windows. Natsu pulled me to the roof before going to the edge and peering over to look down at the costs and sniffers. " What in the hell is that?!" He nearly shouted. I hurried to his side and stared wide eyed at the slobbering beast on the ground. It was taller and more muscular than the sniffers, it would have given Levy a run for her money in height. The coat holding it's chain like leash gave it a command and released it. Then it ran, and began scaling the wall.

" Luce run!" Natsu shouted before grabbing my hand and taking off in the other direction. We took off at a run, quickly jumping from roof to roof. The sounds of claws scrapping and heavy thuds made me glance back, and this new beast was closing in on us. Fear gripped my spine as it easily jumped from roof to roof and started closing in. " Natsu!" I shouted in fear. He glanced back and cursed. " Lucy, keep running. No matter what, don't stop." He suddenly said.

" Natsu, wha-" He suddenly stopped running and turned, charging back at the beast. " Over here ugly bastard!" He shouted before taking off to the edge of town, the beast following him. " Natsu!" I shouted, slowing to follow him. "Don't you dare follow me Luce! Get back to Miras! " he shouted. The beast was so close now, and before he could jump to the roof of an old factory, the beast lept. Natsus cry of agony ripped through the air as it latched onto his shoulder and he tumbled over the edge. "NATSU!!!"