This is an AU fic where Lucy gets sucked into the Anima.

Chapter One- Tears that Fall like Rain

The walls are collapsing all around them. Nirvana is falling. The ground is rushing to meet it. The members of the alliance all race against rubble and falling debris to escape the destruction. Gray is the first to escape certain death. His body is pitched from the death machine with a jump. He hits the ground and starts sliding. His hands catch the ground, slowing is body.

"That was close," he grunts as he continues to try and stop. He comes to rest in a clearing. Gray's eyes turn to the desolation, "Woah... Is everyone safe?"

Dust rises from the collapsing city. It fills the air with a choking tan dust. The ice mage is too engrossed in the falling city to notice the redheaded woman sprinting towards him. She calls out to him, "Gray!"

The young man jumps at the sound, turning to face the source of his name. Relief fills his voice as he notices who it is, "Erza! And..."

Another form starts to take shape from the blanket of stone fog. The reequip mage turns around to see who is behind her. A man appears, large muscles bulging from his grotesquely shaped body. His skin is flawlessly sparkling. A pair of torn pants are the only thing covering him. His face is covered in large bulbous bumps. He lights up when he sees the redhaired woman, "Erza-san! Thank goodness you're safe!"

Both Fairy Tail mages jump back, preparing to attack the creature, or whatever the thing before them is. The man stops, staring blankly at Erza as she demands, "What goes there?"

"An enemy? And... Ew..." Gray exclaims before the stranger can reply.

"Please calm down, you two," the thing begs, waving his hands at them in a flamboyant manner. A vial suddenly appears in his fingers and he uncaps it. Yellow fog shimmers around him, "Thanks to the power of my parfum, my body has changed!"

His leg kicks out behind him and he starts to spin with the yellow sparkles surrounding him, "But the inside is the same me, unchanged even a bit!"

His body starts spinning like a top while the powder around him shifts into an iridescent hue. The bumps on his face disappear. He stops, pointing his finger at the two mages and posing, "Ichiya, at your service!"

The fog changes and the parfum mage is sparkling. His body is in an awkward position, with his butt protruding out and arms saluting and pointing at the Fairy Tail mages. Both of them have dropped their attack stances and are looking at the ground.

"You sure attract the weirdos," Gray admits to Erza, not looking at Ichiya, who has taken it upon himself to shift his pose.

"Yes... Well, he's dependable at least," Erza agrees, trying to put a positive spin on things. Ichiya shifts again, flexing his bulbous muscles. The conversation is abruptly ending as more mages run into the clearing.

"Everyone! You are safe?" The large man in the back of the group asks. This mage wears clothes similar to that of an Egyptian style. He looks exhausted and a bit beat up, but he seems to brighten up at the fact that others made it out.

"Where's Natsu-san, Jellal, Lucy and Happy?" The blue-haired dragon slayer asks as they continue to run towards the other group. The white Exceed flies next to her dragon-slayer counterpart. Ichiya, ever observant, looks out over the dusty ruins, "I do not see them! They must be inside!"

The rest of the group glances around in search of their missing partners.

"That piece of flame!" Gray exclaims with disguised concern. His eyes search the dust.

"Lucy!" Erza calls out, looking over in the trees in case something could have happened.

"Natsu-san!" Wendy cries in a distressed voice.

"He-cat," Carla murmurs softly, searching around.

"Natsu...Lucy... Jellal... What are you doing?" Erza murmurs as she looks out over the ruins in front of her.

Just as hope begins to dwindle, the ground underneath Wendy shakes. A face pops out, then another and another!

"Love will save your friends! Yes.." A large man carrying the pink-haired dragon slayer and blue-haired mage exclaims. They all look worse for wear. Jellal is limp in his savior's arms. Natsu just looks annoyed.

"Sheesh... Making us worried like that," Gray crosses his arms and stares at the new group. Wendy tears up, running towards the pinkette, "Natsu-san!"

"That's Hot Eye! Why would a member of Oracion Seis...?" Carla exclaims, nervously watching Wendy run towards the enemy.

"It's a long story, but don't worry. He's a friend," Jura reassures, a smile playing on the corners of his mouth.

A smile adorns the young dragon-slayer's face. She jumps into his arms, sniffling softly, "You really... kept your promise!"

Natsu holds a confused look on his face for a moment as Wendy starts to tear up. He grins happily and Wendy lets him go, "Thank you, for saving my guild."

"It's because we all had the power, right?" Natsu remarks humbly. They turn towards the gathered group and Wendy smiles, "All of us?"

The grin on Natsu's face fades as he searches for his two partners. The familiar presence of a blue Exceed and a blonde Celestial mage has not gone unnoticed. Gray looks over the ruins of Nirvana with unmasked concern.

"Where's Lucy and Happy?" Natsu questions, all joy from earlier melting off of his features. The rest of the group shakes their head, unable to give an answer. Wendy raises her hands to her mouth, tears pouring down her face. Ichiya silently murmurs, "Men…"

"We… we don't know," Erza states bluntly, trying to remain composed. Her fists betray the uncertainty. They are shaking with every feeling that isn't being shown on her face. Wendy makes a strangled cry. It's been too long. They couldn't be gone.

"Lucy! Happy!" Natsu spins around, crying out for his teammates. His voice cracks slightly. As the dust starts to settle, the ruins of Nirvana become more horrifying. The prospect that the two group members could be buried underneath the city… it's breaking to even the strongest of souls.

"Natsu!" A high voice echoes through the clearing. All eyes gaze upwards to find Happy and Lucy flying down to meet them. At first, the group cheers until they notice that the Celestial Mage is limp in the Exceed's grasp. Tears are running down the cat's face. They near closer to the ground and Happy's wings give out, speeding up their descent. Instead of the two crash landing, they end up in Natsu's arms.

"Natsu… L-Lucy got hit in the head…," Happy sniffles as Natsu lowers his two friends to the ground. The dragon slayer can feel that something is off. His blonde haired companion is starting to fade. Her scent. Her lovely vanilla scent is gone. Wendy rushes up beside the pinkette, kneeling down as she wipes her eyes. Lucy looks worse for wear. Her body is covered in dirt and grime and her forehead has a large bump on it from where the rock hit her. Her eyes are closed, but she is still breathing.

"Wendy, can you do anything?" Natsu pleads, seeing that this could be detrimental. The loss of her scent plagues him. What could do that? She couldn't be… dying could she? This wound isn't serious enough.

"I think so," the sky dragon slayer replies, scooting closer to Lucy. Her hands start to glow as she raises them above the Celestial Mage. The bump on her head doesn't heal, but Lucy's eyes open. Her brown eyes find Natsu's onyx ones and she smiles, "Is everyone okay?"

Wendy brings back her hands, letting the light disappear. Lucy should have healed. What went wrong? She seems fine, but the fact that the sky magic did not heal her is unnerving.

"Everyone is safe," Erza replies, calming now that her teammate is back. Nobody but Carla notices the look of horror on Wendy's face. Everyone is smiling at the return of the Celestial mage until…

"Lucy, what's wrong with your guild mark?" Gray interjects everyone's happiness. All eyes look towards the pink mark on her hand. It is fading, sliding off her skin in an array of sparkles. The Celestial Mage starts to glow.

"Lucy?" Happy blubbers, tears streaming down his face. She is starting to rise into the sky. Nobody questions this, Natsu simply wraps his arms around her, "Lucy, don't disappear!"

Her eyes are starting to close, but everyone present can see fear etched into her face. They don't know what is happening, it's a shock to everyone. Tears start to run down Wendy's face again. Her body is fading now, and her mouth opens up, "Natsu…."

"Lucy! Lucy-san! Lucy!" The group yells at her as her legs start to ebb into oblivion. At this point tears are falling like rain. A golden light appears behind the group. Loke and Virgo are standing there, silently grieving for their fallen friend. Natsu looks down at Lucy in his arms. A tear falls from his face and right through her, "...Lucy. Don't leave me too."

He tries to tighten his arms around her, but she's gone. His arms grasp thin air. Natsu leans forward, searching for a presence that is no longer there. Her body disappears before everyone's eyes. The spirit keys clatter to the ground. Natsu's fingers brush the cold metal. His nose inhales nothing but dust. Tears drip down his face as he takes the Celestial Portals into his grasp.

"Luuuuuuuucy!" Natsu whines, lowering his head and hoping that with all his heart that when he raises it again, it will all be a trick. She will be there.

Loke falls to the ground, eyes wide with tears, "Not again…."

Virgo's face, usually so emotionless, is filled with grief. Before anyone can say a word, the two spirits disappear. They have nothing left to tether them to this world.

Wendy covers her mouth, her tiny body racking with shuddering sobs. Carla's ears lay flat on her head as tears cover her face. Happy is weeping, looking down at the spot where his teammate used to be. Erza is shaking and crying out of her one real eye. Her hands cover her face. Gray stands in spot, mouth open in shock. His eyes do not wet, but his face says it all. Jura, Ichiya, and Hoteye are sharing their own form of grief, though it does not ring of the same caliber. Jellal hangs limp in Hoteye's arms, unable to wake.

Natsu holds Lucy's keys in his hands, shaking. Tears stream from his face. She's gone. There's nothing. No body, nobody to seek revenge on, nothing. Gone. Forever. Her smile, her happiness, her bravery, her teasing, her anger, her sadness. Lucy is gone. It all happened so fast. Natsu clutches the key's in his hand gently but forcefully. Gone. Dead.

It seems like an eternity before anyone moves again. Jellal manages to awaken and falls out of Hoteye's grip. All heads turn towards him except for Natsu's. Gray, through his grief, manages to make out a sentence. His voice cracks as he utters it, "Who is that?"

"Jellal…" Erza states bluntly, numbly going to help the man up. Hoteye is crying and dropped him without thinking. The blue haired man stares at her, noticing the tears on her face, "Erza… what?"

His hand reaches to her face, and instead of her pulling back, she falls into his arms. Her arms wrap around him tightly, trying to find some sort of comfort, "Lucy is… dead."

Jellal doesn't know who this person is, but he still wraps his arms around Erza, trying to help her calm down. He doesn't understand, but his fear of his memories returning is dwindling with the preoccupation of Erza seeking him out for comfort.

"We...we need to tell the guild," Gray breaks the trance that everyone has been set in. He doesn't move from his spot, fists shaking with grief for his fallen comrade.

Ichiya is the first to move, he starts walking towards the path to Caitshelter. His eyes are streaming constant tears, but he continues and runs into a barrier, "What's this… men?"

"A barrier… runes," Jura comments, looking solem. He walks over and presses his hand against one of the sides, "We are boxed in."

Erza lifts her head from the crook of Jellal's neck, looking at the area around them. Knights in white armor start to surround the group. Even then, there is no move for any of them to panic. They are all still in shock from Lucy's untimely demise.

"We wanted to keep you in one place," The leader of the group admits, standing before them. He seems a bit angry that nobody is paying attention to him, so he gathers a large breath and announces, "I am Captain of the Reformed Magic Council's 4th enforcement and detention corps. My name is Lahar."

"You've been reformed, then?" Gray mutters with anger in his voice. How dare the magic council force them to remain in one place when something like this has happened.

"We have been reborn, to uphold the law and protect justice. We have no mercy for those who do evil acts. Our purpose is to detain Oracion Seis. Please turn the one codenamed Hoteye to us," Lahar preaches and then demands in a matter-of-fact tone. Jura runs forward, causing some of the people to step back a bit, "Wait a minute!"

"It is okay, Jura. We do not need anymore strife today. I wish to fix all of my evil deeds so that I may be able to look my brother in the eyes when we meet," Hoteye admits, starting towards the Rune Knights without a smidge of protest.

"Richard-domo… I will search for your brother in your stead. What is his name?" Jura promises, trying to ease the pain of the newly reformed man.

"His name is Wally. Wally Buchanan," Hoteye tells Jura. He looks as if he wants to say more, but the sorrow hanging above the group keeps his voice quiet.

"I-I know that man… he is my friend. He is traveling the continent now," Erza informs, starting to untangle herself from Jellal's grasp.

Fresh tears fall from Richard's eyes as he praises, "A miracle… even in the midst of sorrow… thank you."

Two of the knights escort the man to the prisoner transport vehicle. Jura sports a half a grin for a small segment of time before Ichiya pushes up against the runes, "Let us out, men!"

"Not yet. Our true objective is not Oracion Seis. The one who infiltrated the Magic Council, destroyed it, and fired Etherion. There is a far greater evildoer among you, yes?" Lahar tips his glasses and looks at the blue haired man next to Erza. His face is confused for a moment, until Lahar calls him out, "You, Jellal. Come! If you resist, we will have to use lethal force!"

Erza had finally pulled herself together at this point. Now her eyes widen and she trembles. They can't lose him too. This declaration snaps the group out of their shock. Wendy uncovers her mouth, gulping as she tries to stop the tears falling from her face. Natsu looks up, clutching Lucy's keys close to his heart as he stands. His voice is low and growly, "Hold on a second."

"That man is dangerous and cannot be loose in this world," Lahar reinforces, ignoring the protests from the alliance. Rune Knight's come up around the group, dragging the amnesiac forward and placing handcuffs on his being. Lahar has the audacity to open his mouth again, "Jellal Fernandez. I hereby place you under arrest for high treason of the state."

"Please wait!" Wendy cries out, wiping the steady rain of tears off her face, "Jellal has lost all of his memories."

"By clause 13 of the criminal code, that is not a valid defense," Lahar spouts like a machine, "Release the runes."

His order is directed at a soldier closeby. The man jerks forward in shock, but does as he is told. Wendy walks forward, sniffling.

"Don't cry over him. He's a criminal," a Rune Knight from the bunch growls angrily. Wendy stops, placing her hands over her eyes. She isn't sure who the tears are for anymore. They lost so many. Carla paddles up behind her, "Wendy told me that Jellal once saved her life. At least he has done one good deed."

The Rune Knights are unsympathetic. They pull Jellal towards his doom, and he starts with them willingly. Lahar holds a look of smugness as he passes, "You are sure to have either an execution or a life sentence. Either way. You will never see another human face again."

Before anybody can think, Natsu jumps into the crowd of knights, "We aren't losing anybody else tonight."

"Natsu!" Gray scolds halfheartedly. They can see that this isn't about Jellal. Without warning, the ice mage runs forward, aiding the grieving dragon-slayer. Erza remains shocked. Her eyes try to take in the damage and sorrow that plagues her guildmates and allies. An order has been commanded to restrain the alliance and everyone has begun to battle the Rune Knights.

"Enough!" Erza shouts, pausing the brawl, "Take him! I will take full responsibility."

Her voice shakes, but she has conviction. The Knights release her friends and the redhead can see tears dripping down Natsu's face again. In fact, almost everyone is crying again at this point. Three loses in one day is too much. The Rune Knights retreat, shoving Jellal into the back of the transport

"Ezra… It's the color of your hair," The blue haired ally's last words echo in Erza's mind. Her face darkens as she feels her world shatter. Jellal and Lucy gone. Silence has fallen upon the clearing except for the clicking of horse's hooves as Jellal and Hoteye are taken. Erza's eyes lift and they fall upon Natsu. The pinkette is clutching Lucy's keys in his fist, tears running down his face as he stares at them. Happy stands at his feet, weeping silently. Gray has his hand on the dragon slayer's shoulder. For once, neither are fighting. How could they? They are all broken.

"Natsu, Gray, let's go," Erza commands, knowing that she can't fall apart. Not know. If she fell apart, they all would. They need to move, put one foot in front of the other. Find some way to heal, but in her heart Erza questions if they ever will.

I hope you enjoy the first chapter of In Another World! Also, I feel bad for this chapter since there were so many feels. Argh. Natsu grief always gets me. That's why I put in a Jerza hug, to comfort you. Don't worry about Lucy though. She will come back! Later.

Also I listened to Past Story while writing the awful feels scene. It really puts it into perspective. If you want a real round of feels, do the same.

Special Thanks to Akela-Nakamura for beta reading! I had some awful mistakes that she fixed for me, thanks sweetheart!

For the next chapter I have some sad things planned so bring your tissues!

Also, if you like, follow or review or whatever! I would love any feedback!

Thanks for reading,

Spirit