Tenroujima

The Fairy Tail mages fought bravely against the black dragon of apocalypse. Despite severe magical exhaustion and still healing injuries they gave it their all. But Acnologia was unfazed. It caused devastating damage to the island just by swinging its tail. Lucy was panting. The strain from the battle against Grimoire Heart was already too much. She had no magic left, so she was reduced to her whip. However, she was also out of energy. Panting with her golden hair sticking to her sweaty skin she raised her hand for another lash. Acnologia lifted its tail and swung it down again. And Lucy was right in the trajectory. Brown eyes widened as she realized the danger. If that hit her, she was done for. Her muscles strained but her legs didn't move. She simply had no energy left. Natsu screamed her name and tried to reach her. But he was too far away and had no power left either. No one was close enough to help her. No, wait, Laxus was. And he moved almost instinctively. The Slayer stepped in front of her and braced himself for impact. Not a moment later the scaled appendage collided with his raised arms. The force of the impact was so strong that it hurled Laxus into Lucy and launched them both into the air over the cliff. She could hear the panicked cries of their friends as they were free falling. Having the muscular man collide into her, forced all of the air out of Lucy's lungs and she had no chance to prepare herself before she was submerged into the water of the ocean below.

The salt stung in her wounds and eyes. She was sinking deeper and deeper despite her efforts to reach the surface. Her aching muscles and clothes dragged her down mercilessly. She tried to reach out to the man who had just saved her from certain death. Laxus was rendered unconscious from the impact and she used the last of her strength to grab his arm. They would both drown if nothing was done. And everyone was still fighting. They were battling with terrible odds. They needed help! Even though her lungs burned like being caught in one of Natsu's roars, and she could feel the blackness creep into her vision, she refused to give up. She was a Fairy Tail mage after all. But they kept sinking further into the depths below. With no magic for a proper summoning left she sent a prayer to her beloved stars.

Aquarius ... please. A single key on her hip started to glow and suddenly a tidal forced the two bodies upwards. A huge angry wave washed over the ships of the Council that were still in the area. The people on the ship had been watching the dragon attack the island and were caught off-guard by the sudden flood and scrambled for cover when it hit. Doranbalt was the first to notice the two blonde unconscious figures that lay on deck.

"What the?" He and the others stared at the two mages confused. Suddenly a bright white light exploded from the island and rocked their float. Once the light had died down the island of Tenrou was no more and the dragon of apocalypse left. Some of the most famous mages in Fiore were eradicated. This disaster, two mages, one former member and once current member of the famous Fairy Tail guild, survived and brought to the closest hospital.

The first thing Lucy noticed upon awaking was the stinging smell of antiseptics. Her throat felt raw and her body ached. Slowly she cracked open her eyes. The bright lights in the room were blinding to her. She gradually got more used to it until she could focus on the sight. A hospital room. How did she end up here? Last she remembered... Oh god! Everyone! The celestial mage shot up, ignoring the pain that shot through her at the action. Some machine started to beep erratically. Pain whacked Lucy's body as her heart raced at the thought of her friends. They were in danger! Her vision started to blur as she tried to get up. A stern looking nurse rushed into the room and forced her back down.

"Miss, you must not get up yet. You suffered extreme magical depletion. It is a wonder you are still alive. You were worse off than your companion."

Companion? Through the light-headedness Lucy tried to make sense of her words. Then she remembered. Laxus had saved her. And she had tried to save both of them from drowning. Seems like Aquarius heard her prayer. She would have to thank her.

"Where?" she croaked out.

"He is in the next room. He woke up a while earlier. Had about the same reaction as you. Good thing he was exhausted as well, I doubt we could've handled the guy at full strength." The nurse shook her head disapprovingly. "He was still trying to get up when your alarm went off. I am sure he'll want to see you. He did ask after all."

Lucy relaxed back onto the mattress. Not that she could move anyways. Just sitting up had used up all the energy she had. So Laxus was alright. But what happened to everyone else? She had a heavy feeling in her chest and could not help but fear the worst. The nurse reattached some cables and shuffled out of the room. She returned a few moments later, supporting the hulking frame of Laxus. He looked as exhausted as Lucy felt. The nurse managed to get the man to the chair next to the bed and dropped him rather unceremoniously into it. Laxus was heavy and the nurse was not exactly a bodybuilder. She mumbled something about mages being trouble before gathering herself. She gave Lucy a glass of water which the blonde gulped down eagerly.

"I will give the two of you a moment. There is a gentleman who wanted to speak to the both of you. I'll notify him." With that she left the room again. The silence was kind of awkward.

"Thanks" Lucy managed to rasp. Laxus looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"What for?" his voiced sounded a bit hoarse as well.

"You saved me. From Acnologia." He snorted at that.

"No problem Blondie." Lucy pouted at the nickname.

"You are blonde too, genius." He simply grunted at that. She inspected her hands and looked at the pink insignia on her right with a sad smile. She raised her chocolate irises and looked at the bandaged man before her.

"What do you think happened with everyone else?" Her voice was quivering.

Laxus' face was unreadable. He seemed to struggle and hesitate in choosing his words. Just as he was about to answer her, someone knocked at the door. Lahar entered in full council uniform. Two pair of eyes immediately focused on him. He looked tired himself, and more worryingly, sad. Not the personal sad, but like a doctor who has to bring bad news. Lucy knew that look. It was the same the doctors had when they told them about her mother's illness. Instinctively she grabbed Laxus hand for comfort. He let her. Her heart hammered in her chest. And the monitor mirrored it. Lahar inhaled and launched into a report. It was easier to stay professional and get this over with.

"The two of you ended up on our ship after a wave washed you on board. We do not know what exactly happened. Both of you were unconscious and had suffered from magical depletion. Before we could get you medical attention however, the island which you were on previously was eradicated by Acnologia. No survivors. We brought you here to the hospital in Hargeon. We will pay for the expenses and arrange your journey to Magnolia once you are discharged." He gave a quick bow and turned to leave. At the door he paused and said without turning back: "I am very sorry for your loss."

The door fell close. Neither of the two spoke. They were frozen in their spots. Lucy stared at the door blankly. No survivors. Master, Levy, Juvia, Cana, Gray, Erza, Happy, Wendy, Natsu ... everyone else ... gone. Everyone who was on the island was dead. Her Friends, her family. They were gone. Just like that. And she had left them behind. She wasn't there by their side. If only she would have been there. Maybe she could have done something ... Anything ...

She felt the pressure build up behind her eyes and then the warm tears started spilling. She buried her face into her hands as she began to sob. Laxus remained frozen. He may have been expelled, but those guys were still his family. His grandfather who raised him, the Thunder God Tribe who had been his closest friends. He didn't rage. He didn't scream or break something. He just sat there. If Lucy had looked up, she would have seen his tears. But ... she hadn't. And everyone outside of the room let them grieve alone.

AN: Welcome to my very first work on here. I try to keep this short. Massive thanks to my lovely Waifu who did the beta for me. And of course to dear darlingnkki for the support and the amazing cover. I do not own the artwork or the characters of Fairy Tail. There might be OOCness, you have been warned. Also I am not a native english speaker so there might be errors. Feedback is highly anticipated :D Have fun!