Chapter 21: Home is where my family is

Hello, minna! ♥

So this is the second last chapter. Dum dum DUM! So yeah, I hope you don't waited to long.

Enjoy this chapter!

//тнeвιѕcυιтqυeen♥___________________________________________________________________________________

Delora was awoken up by the ground under her shaking. Like an earthquake of some sort. The walls began to crumble and small cracks began to form in the floor.

Still tired and exhausted, she raised her upper body a little, so she could get an overview of the situation. The ground was still shaking, and it showed no sign on stopping. It also seemed like the others were waking up as well. The blue haired girl, Wendy, was snuggled up against the white exceed, whilst the black exceed was sleeping against the wall, his head tilted a little. A few meters besides her, the peach haired beauty were still sleeping. Her one arm was tugged under her head, as the other was extended forwards. Towards Elimar's dead body.

Pulling herself towards the unconscious Haichi, Delora felt a sharp pain go through her whole body, making her cry out in agony. She was hit by a piece of the ceiling. Feeling no blood running from her back, she forced herself to keep on moving. As she moved another few inches, she noticed a little twitch on Haichi's hands. She was waking up.

"Morning, Haichi," Delora whispered as she stroke Haichi's forehead trying to wake her up. After a little, Delora put Haichi in her lap, to avoid the "earthquake" to injure her, which caused a groan from the the peach haired mage. Her eyes stirred a bit, and a little after they fluttered wide open. "Slept well?" Haichi just groaned as a reply, and tried to turn around in Delora's lap. "You've never been a morning person, but I have to tell you... it's, like, nine in the evening."

"What is happening?" the sky maiden asked, trying to stand without falling. In her right arm she clung to the white exceed and in her left, she had just picked up the black exceed.

"It seems, that someone has destroyed the machine," Delora explained, looking around, seeing if any of the walls were close to collapsing. "This is the side effect. Zeref didn't tell me that much about it, but apparently, if the machine should ever be destroyed or something, this whole building will crash, in attempt to kill the responsible." She left Wendy and both of the exceeds dumbfounded.

"N-No way..." Wendy whispered, putting a hand over her mouth. The exceeds in her arms were just a shocked, and Carla had even crossed her arms.

"Why didn't you tell us about that before?" Carla exclaimed, worried and desperate.

Delora sighed. "I wasn't sure it would happen," she confessed, still holding Haichi tight. "Zeref would sometimes tell us lies, to test if we were smart enough, or only tell it to Elimar." Looking at Elimar, sympathetically, she continued. "But enough about that. Go find you friends. We will be right behind you!"

Wendy nodded, getting on her feet. "H-Hai!" she exclaimed as she started running, the exceeds dangling from her arms. "Be careful!" Delora nodded in gratitude, sending them a warm smile. Which none of them had seen before.

After Wendy had turned around the corner, Delora looked back down at Haichi, who apparently had gone back to sleep. Sighing in defeat, Delora rolled Haichi down of her lap, making her hit the ground, which caused her to wake up.

"Auch!" Haichi exclaimed. "What was that for?" She looked at Delora as a teenager looks at her parents. Rebelious in some way. It just caused Delora to laugh, which was a rare thing. She usually smirked or chuckled, but not laughing out loud. Haichi sent her a confused look. "W-What did I say?"

Putting a hand across her mouth, Delora tried to control her laughter. "You're just too cute to look grumpy!"

Haichi crossed her arms, and pouted even more. 

Delora regained her control, and extended a hand towards Haichi, who gladly took it. As she got on her feet, Delora pulled her into an embrace. A long and warm one. Delora's hands were wrapped around Haichi's waist, stroking the end of her back. Haichi's hands was entangled in Delora's long, dark hair. They hadn't done that in a very long time. Being here with Zeref, had caused them to have a little more distance. Zeref did not approve hugging and holding hands, because it was a "weakness" to show too much emotion.

Pulling a little away again, they just looked at each other for a few moments, before their happy moment turned into a more serious moment. At exact same time, they both gazed down at Elimar's lifeless body. He was so close to survival. To turn good again. To go on their side. And that reminded Haichi of something.

"Delora-chan," she beamed, turning her head to Delora. Delora turned her head as well, and sent her a questioning look. "So it's true then! It's all back to normal!"

"What are you talking about?" Delora asked, now more interested.

Haichi let out a girlish giggle. "Your eyes! They are back to normal again, I didn't even see that!" And it was true. Under their partnership with Zeref, their eyes had been turned reddish, like Elimar's had been. Now they were back to normal. Delora had beautiful eyes. They looked cold, but Haichi didn't mind. They were dark turquoise and shone like a sea reflecting in the moonlight.

Delora touched the spot under her eye, then gazing up at Haichi once again. "Yours too!" Haichi's eyes were bright pink, reflecting her personality.

Letting out a short chuckle, Haichi gazed down at Delora's hands, taking one of them in hers. "We can really go home, Delora-chan!"

Intertwining their fingers, they both turned their bodies the same way as Elimar's faced. Their hopes were up, and they were ready.

"Yes we can," Delora muttered, squeezing Haichi's hand lightly. "Finally." Dragging Haichi with her, Delora began walking as she heard some of the building collapse behind them. The girls were smiling slightly, though their eyes were tired.

And so, the pair walked down the hallway, searching for the exit. They were finally free again.

"I can't wait to go home!" Haichi exclaimed, happily as the rest of that corridor collapsed and buried Elimar's dead body. ___________________________________________________________________________________

The smoke and dust from the machine explosion finally began to settle, but that didn't mean, that the earth had stopped shaking. Actually, the earth shook so much that the ceiling were collapsing, together with the walls. Cracks began to erupt across the ground, and piles of dust and pieces from ceiling began to pile up here and there.

From what Erza could see, everybody was okay - though she couldn't spot Natsu yet. Gajeel and Levy, both covered Lucy's terrible fragile and unconscious body, though they had injures themselves. Gray were hugging Juvia, shielding her from the the pieces that crumbled. Erza herself was good enough protected by her armor, though the pieces from the ceiling sometime were as big as boulders!

But then she realized. All the clones of Zeref were gone - including the original Zeref! He had run off, not wanting to get caught.

Lucky bastard... Erza growled in her mind.

Suddenly a small figure took shape in the entrance. "Minna!" the high-pitched voice exclaimed. Wendy!

"We're here, Wendy!" Gray exclaimed back, waving with his arm for Wendy to see.

Wendy stormed towards Gray and Juvia, and threw herself on her knees in front of them. The exceeds in her arms had run off, checking the others. Wendy quickly began to examine Gray and Juvia's bodies for injuries, though they both protested, saying they were okay, which didn't cause Wendy to stop.

Sitting up straight, a question came across Wendy's mind. "W-Where is Natsu-san?"

Erza's eyes widened, realizing that Natsu - or Happy - had shown up yet. Maybe they were unconscious? Or maybe they were... Erza let the thought fly by, not wanting to think about it.

"We don't know," Gray answered, looking down. After a little moment of silence, he glanced over at the machine, which still produced smoke and dust. "He could be-" He was cut off by Erza shaking her head, which made him look down in the ground again - witch actual sadness in his eyes.

Shaking her head, Wendy began to stand up again. She refused to believe, that he was dead. She started running towards the machine, climbing the burning pieces of metal, which gave her burn marks on her hands and bare feet. The others looked at her, sympathetically, as she began digging through the metal.

The ground still shook, and several pieces of ceiling had bumped down close to Wendy, which had made the group flinch. Tears were streaming down of Wendy's cheeks, and small sobs enacted from her mouth.

"I can't find them," she whispered, falling on her knees on the shaking and burning pile of metal. A little after she exclaimed: "I can't find them!"

"Wendy..." Carla muttered, her eyes watery as well. She wanted to go support her friend.

Gray cursed under his breath, and Gajeel did the same just after. Everybody knew it. Natsu didn't make it. Neither did Happy. They had given up their life for the machine, and were probably buried under the rest of the machine.

"It's not like Flame-brain to let a machine get the best of him," Gray muttered, his eyes shaking. For once, he actually felt bad and like he was about to puke. It wouldn't be the same in the guild without that noisy idiot. "Actually, it's not like him to let anyone get the best of him..." The others nodded in agreement, sadness in their eyes.

Then Erza glanced over at Lucy, who was held up by Levy. "I wonder how Lucy will react to this," she said, sending the blonde mage an sympathetically look. "She did lose her memories, but... she probably had the same feelings."

"Let's go," Gajeel said, cold, not showing his face, which was probably covered in sadness. He picked up Lucy from Levy's embrace. Levy looked up at him with a shocked look. How could he just move on like that? "Bunny-girl needs rest and so does we too. We'll go back for their bodies tomorrow." Though it was harsh, it was the truth and what they needed to do.

"You're right," Erza said, getting up, trying to stand on the shaking ground. Blood was cribling down from her body and tears were building up in her eyes, but she blinked them away. "We'll have funeral soon. For both of them." And so the group began walking away. Lucy in Gajeel's arms, Levy behind. Both Gray and Juvia had their arms around the crying Wendy's shoulders, trying to comfort. Erza had picked up the tired and injured exceeds, walking just a few meters behind the others.

Before exiting the door, Wendy glanced back at the destroyed room, trying to see the impossible. But something was odd. The ground was shaking, but in the middle of the room, just besides the machine, a little part of the ground began collapsing.

"What is that?" Wendy asked, causing the group to stop. She then pointed towards the collapsing spot.

As the spot was completely collapsed, a familiar pink haired spirit popped up. Virgo! In her arms, she was carrying Natsu bridal-style. He was holding a sleeping Happy.

When the group saw the sight of their friend, they stormed towards him, happy tears flying from the girls... and Gajeel. The exceeds shared the groups enthusiasm too, happy to both see Natsu and Happy.

Since Natsu still hadn't given Lucy her keys back, Lucy's spirits had been able to save Natsu, just in time.

A big grin was painted across Natsu's face. "You thought I'd let a stupid machine get the best of me!" he exclaimed, laughing. He then looked at Gray. "And you were worried about me!"

"W-Was not!" Gray exclaimed, looking away, causing Natsu to grin even wider.

Virgo, who was still carrying Natsu, cleared her throat. "Natsu-san," she said, turning the attention to her. "When we are done with this, I want you to return the keys to Princess."

"Hai," Natsu replied, smiling gratefully. "Thanks for saving me!" Virgo just nodded, disappearing in a flash, making Natsu and Happy fall to the shaking ground.

Natsu picked up Happy, who was about to wake up. "Well, shall we go home?"

The group smiled at him, giving him a big group hug, nearly squeezing the last life out of him.

And then they were on the way home. To their family. ___________________________________________________________________________________

The machine is detroyed, Natsu is alive and they are on their way home. But Lucy's memories are still gone. What will they do?

Read the FINAL: I'm home