The sun shone down on Magnolia on a fine summer's morning as Natsu strode towards the guild. All was right with the world. It had been a few months since Fairy Tail had won the Grand Magic Games and stopped the dragon apocalypse. Fairy Tail was on the rise, getting their old guild hall back, earning their prestige back, and best of all were the missions. Hundreds of missions flowed in from the people of Fiore for the top guild and Natsu and his team were never without work.

Natsu grinned as he thought about all the good things that had happened over the past few months. He grinned even harder at all the good things that had happened last night. Lucy had finally given in and agreed to go on a date with him. He wasn't even mad when Happy asked him as he walked and Happy flew, "Natsu, why do you have to date Lucy? She's really weird, and she hardly ever gives me fish."

Natsu gave him a sly look, "Why do you want to date Carla? She's mean to you and she doesn't even like fish."

Happy let the wings on his back dispel and he dropped down from where he was flying to perch on Natsu's head, "But why can't I come on the date? I bet they're fun."

Natsu chuckled, "Sorry buddy. If you came then I don't think Lucy would ever go out on a date with me again."

The cat said from atop his head, "That's because she would see cats are the best and not want anything to do with you."

Natsu grinned as they happily bickered all the way to the guild hall. Natsu couldn't wait to see Lucy and go out on a mission with her, and then come back and go out on a date. The dragon slayer was mildly nervous about the date, but decided that he'd treat it like he would a battle and just make it up as he went along.

He arrived at the guild and kicked open the doors shouting, "Guess what guys! I have great news!"

All eyes turned on him, but it wasn't in the way he expected. Instead of curious and amused expressions, there were expressions of hurt, anger, and betrayal. Two peoples expressions stood out however, Lahar and Doranbolt, stood in the center of Fairy Tail and had been talking to Erza and Gray. When he entered they both turned to give him cold looks. Natsu said, "What's wrong guys?"

Nobody answered him, but the answer came when Lahar stepped forward and said, "Natsu Dragneel, you're under arrest for the murder of Lucy Heartfilia."

Natsu felt his jaw drop, and he felt Happy's tiny jaw drop on top of his head. He shouted, "What the hell guys, this isn't funny!"

He stood frozen in the doorway as Lahar and Doranbolt came and put magic restraining cuffs on him. He shouted at Erza, "What the hell is happening!"

She blurred forward and suddenly had a sword to his throat, "You happened Natsu! Lucy is dead and you killed her!"

Natsu wouldn't accept it, "No, I just saw her last night. She was fine!"

Erza shook with rage, "Her house burned down in the middle of the night with her in it. All that they found were her bones and her diary that she put a fireproof enchantment on. That diary tells a lot. She wrote all about how you've been pursuing her and making indecent advances on her that she had to keep rejecting. The last page says that you finally threatened her if she didn't date you and she said no again. She wrote that she was scared you were going to do something to hurt her, but that she trusted you because you were her teammate and best friend!"

Her voice had risen to a shout as she'd said the words and Natsu's face had slowly turned a pale ashen color. He started mumbling, "No, no, no, this is wrong. I love Lucy. She finally agreed to date me last night."

Erza hissed at him, "Liar! I am ashamed to have called you a friend! Lahar, Doranbolt, take him out of here!"

Natsu felt himself go limp as they dragged him out of the guild. He suddenly remembered Happy on his head and said, "Happy, go back to the guild. Don't come to prison with me."

Happy flew down in front of him with tears in his eyes, "I know you didn't kill Lucy! You were with me all night!"

Lahar said stoically, "The words of an Exceed won't count in a court of law. The evidence is stacked up against Natsu, and as much as I hate to say it, it looks like Natsu did it. You used to be a good person Natsu, but even if you saved the world we can't let you do anything you want."

Natsu said to his buddy, "Go on back Happy, try and clear my name. Try and convince them that I didn't kill Lucy!"

His little friend flew back to the guild, leaving a steady trail of falling teardrops in his wake. Lahar and Doranbolt hauled him into a council carried and threw him down on one side, sitting down on the other. It was at this moment that everything really hit Natsu.

His best friend, the girl he loved and might have spent his life with, was dead. His entire family thought that he had killed her. He lay bonelessly on the carriage seat, his motion sickness not even bothering him because the emotional pain was too great right now. He felt tears slip from his eyes and run down his face. Luckily for him though, the physical pain of motion sickness became too much and caused him to pass out sometime during the ride, so he didn't have to think for too long.


He awoke in one of the council's prison cells. He could smell its dank mustiness permeating the air. The stone walls seemed to close in around him as his head spun. He could still barely comprehend everything that had happened during the short day. Lucy was dead. His Lucy was dead, and everyone thought that he had killed her. He almost laughed, the notion was so ridiculous. But he couldn't laugh, because Lucy was dead, and his family had deserted him.

He sat listlessly in the cell, waiting for whatever came next. It took them three days to come for him, three days without food and with only a small glass of water every day. He was sore from sleeping on the stone floor and he was practically starving. But, he didn't move when they came and lifted him up to take him away. He didn't care where they took him, because it didn't matter anymore, nothing much really mattered anymore.

He sat through the trial, not really paying attention. Not that he normally would have paid attention to a trial, but this time he was on trial. He thought bitterly, 'It won't matter if I pay attention. They think I killed her and nothing will change it.'

He could see his guild as he looked out over the audience. Fairy Tail had come to see justice done for one fallen friend, and justice done upon another. They got what they wanted. It took only an hour of deliberation before the magic council pronounced him guilty, and sentenced him to life in prison. As the Rune Knights hauled him off he finally looked at his former guild, just to see if there was any sign of sympathy or understanding from them.

The only friendly look he got was from Happy, who was perched atop Wendy's head, being consoled by Carla. The rest of the guild was cold. Erza and Gray glared furiously at him. He could see Erza's fingers twitching on the sword she held and knew that she was barely holding herself back from hopping the barrier and attacking. He laughed at that bitterly, surprising the entire hall. Gray shouted at him, "What are you laughing at?"

He replied easily, "I'm laughing at you ice princess. I'm laughing at the guild. It isn't Fairy Tail anymore. Fairy Tail wouldn't abandon me without a second thought. Fairy Tail would have fought for me. They would have searched the ends of the earth to exonerate me, because I'm innocent. I didn't kill Lucy, the most important person in my life. Fairy Tail would find a way to prove that."

The entire guild sat silent.

They dragged him away, not back to the dank prison cell, but too a different place this time. It was a large tower, and when he stepped inside he could see all the way to the top. There were stairs and pathways that led up, and in between these stairs and pathways floated large golden orbs, with people inside of them. Lahar explained as they dragged him towards one, "These cells won't let you use magic inside of them at all. We'll feed you twice a day, and you have as much time to think about what you've done as you want. Pretty much for the rest of your life."

Lahar undid his magic restraining cuffs, and in the one moment he could have attacked, tried to escape, done anything, he didn't act. He didn't believe that he deserved to be punished. In fact, he wanted desperately to go out and search for the real killer. He knew though, that trying to escape would do him no good. Fairy Tail would come after him and he thought wryly, 'I'm fairly sure Gildarts would kick my ass. Then Laxus, and then Erza. Well, since they betrayed me, it's their problem now; I'm no longer a part of Fairy Tail.'


Six months passed and prison, thought Natsu, wasn't so bad. He had convinced the guards to bring him a set of weights after a few months of good behavior and those weights became the center of his life. They took up more than half of his space in the golden orb, but he didn't really mind. It gave him something to focus on during the endless monotonous days in prison. He was slowly working his way up to being able to do a thousand push ups with the heaviest weights on his back.

This was what Natsu's days consisted of. Wake up, eat, exercise, nap, try and think then realize thinking is useless, exercise, eat, exercise, sleep. Natsu was physically in the best shape of his life. Emotionally though, he was still a wreck. He had nightmares every night. Sometimes it was of Lucy, in the middle of her burning house, giving him an empty stare and asking, "Why?"

Other times it was his former guild mates, staring at him silently in judgment. He didn't mind those as much, he knew that he didn't kill Lucy, so their judgment didn't mean anything to him anymore. He did hate the ones about Lucy though. She was dead, and he hadn't been there to protect her, like he had so many times before.

This was his life six months into his life sentence. Six months and a day into his life sentence, his life changed drastically. He was doing the usual; a couple hundred sit ups just to pass the time, when he heard a huge explosion echo throughout the tower. He immediately tossed the weights off of him and stood up. He calmly wrapped his scarf around his neck, they'd let him keep that, as he walked over to the side of the orb and looked down.

Unfortunately, someone else's prison cell was in his way. He yelled down, "Cobra! What the hell is going on?"

The poison dragon slayer that he'd helped put in prison yelled back, "Looks like a prison break, I wonder who they're here for."

Natsu snorted and then stepped back from the edge. He thought, 'Eh, nobody's going to break me out so I'll have a nap.'

He lay back next to the weight set and shut his eyes. He could hear the sounds of battle coming from all around but he paid it no mind. He tried to sleep but the battle was coming closer to him. He groaned and shut his eyes tighter, hoping that somehow it might help him pass out. He was surprised when his prison orb shook and one of the guards was flung into his cell. He literally was flung into it, anyone could get in from the outside, but only with the assistance of a special lacrima could one get out.

Natsu grimaced and rolled over onto his side to glare at the guard, "Hey man, I'm trying to take a nap."

The guard looked at him fearfully, "Please don't kill me! I don't have a lacrima and I can't get out!"

Natsu shrugged, "I don't kill people."

He was about to roll back over when he heard a familiar male voice say, "I know."

He looked up in utter shock to see Jellal and Meredy standing outside of his prison cell. He said, "What the hell are you two doing here!"

Jellal grinned at him, "Were breaking you out." He tossed a small object at Natsu and he caught it on reflex. It was the lacrima that would set him free. He looked sharply at Jellal, "You know that if you do this, Fairy Tail will hunt me down. They'll hunt you down. Erza, will hunt you down."

Jellal grimaced but said, "I know. But, I can't let you rot in here now that I know you're innocent."

Natsu gave him a wry look, "I told everyone that I was innocent, but no one believed me. What's changed?"

Jellal said, "Later, just come with us now."

Meredy chimed in, "Please Natsu, there's not much time before stronger wizards arrive."

Natsu made a snap decision. He jumped up next to the guard who was staring at him frozen and said, "Sorry Jim, but I'm out of here."

He strode forward and out of the orb. It was like stepping into the light after being blind. He could feel his magic again. A grin spread slowly over his face and he shouted, "I'm all fired up!"

Jellal quirked, "Alright good, now let's get out of here."

Natsu followed Jellal and Meredy down the stairs and out of the tower. He could hear the other prisoners yelling at him to take them with him but he just shouted back, "I'm innocent! And I put half of you guys here in the first place!"

A few moments later they burst outside and actual sunlight hit Natsu's eyes. It took him a moment to adjust but when he did he saw three figures standing in front of him. Erza, Lahar, and Doranbolt stared at the three with wide eyes. Erza shouted, "What the hell is happening here Jellal!"

Jellal grated out, "We're taking Natsu out of here. What are you doing here Erza?"

The scarlet haired woman requiped a sword into her hand and said, "I came to see if Natsu was repentant of his crime. Obviously he's not."

Natsu shouted, "I didn't kill Lucy!"

Erza shouted back, "Lies! She didn't love you like you wanted and you couldn't handle it! You burned her house down in a rage!"

Natsu said quietly, "Does that even sound like me Erza?"

She said equally as quietly as she raised her sword and settled into a battle stance, "You are a person guided by your emotions. If rage and heartbreak were those emotions, then you could do it."

Natsu felt like she'd already pierced his heart with her sword and said, "Then you really don't know me Erza. All those years as friends, all those times I've been at your side, you can't give me the benefit of the doubt. I guess you really aren't my comrade."

He ignited his fist and moved to attack but Jellal quickly laid a hand on his shoulder, "Let me take Erza. It's been six months since you've had a battle and Erza will be too much for you."

Natsu grated out, "Fine."

He and Jellal switched places and he could hear Jellal trying to reason with Erza. He stood next to Meredy and said to Lahar and Doranbolt, "Alright, which one of you wants me."

He could see both of them open their mouths to answer but he answered for them by shouting, "Roar of the Fire Dragon!" A huge torrent of flame roared out and washed over both of the Rune Knights. They were blown back into some trees and knocked out in an instant. Natsu grimaced and said to Meredy, "I hate having to do that. They're actually pretty nice guys."

She patted him on the back and said, "I know what you mean, but sometimes you have to break a few laws to do something good."

He nodded grudgingly and they both turned to see Erza and Jellal looked in battle. Natsu said to the pink haired woman beside her, "I feel badly for Jellal. This will kill his chances with Erza."

Meredy smiled at him, "Jellal loves Erza, but he knows that she's in the wrong, and he can't allow an innocent man to rot in jail."

He grinned back at her, "Thanks. How did you figure out I was innocent though?"

Before she could say anything there was an explosion and when the dust cleared they saw Jellal standing over Erza, panting heavily. They both ran up to him, their conversation forgotten. Erza was lying defeated on the ground, but not unconscious. Jellal was saying, "Please Erza, he's innocent. You have to believe me."

She spat at him, "No. That diary we found was in Lucy's own hand. She said herself she was afraid of Natsu and what he would do. He said himself that he was at her house that night. Her house burned Jellal. That fire was so hot her bones were nearly ash when we found them. You've seen Natsu in a rage, you've felt his fire, and it was that kind of fire that burned Lucy to death!"

Jellal yelled at her, "I thought so too at the time! Everybody did! But I looked for something, anything that would prove him innocent! And you know what? I found it! The entire thing was set up by a Dark Guild, to get revenge on Natsu for something. I found dozens of diaries just like the one you found when we destroyed their guild! They had been practicing, so that they could get Lucy's handwriting perfect and plant the incriminating evidence. I went out and found something to exonerate Natsu, while you believed every single one of their lies. The council won't take evidence that we found though, so we're breaking Natsu out."

She looked aghast and started muttering, "No. That can't be true."

Jellal drove his fist into the ground next to her head and hissed, "You're not who I thought you were Erza. The Erza I know would fight for her comrades. She would have gone to the ends of the earth to prove Natsu was innocent. How can I love you when you can throw away your love for Natsu so easily?"

There were tears streaming down Erza's face as she whispered, "Jellal…"

He said coldly, "No. Crime Sorciere is done with Fairy Tail, and I'm done with you."

He straightened up and looked over at Natsu and Meredys shocked faces, "Come. We should leave before more of them show up."

He set off away from the tower and after a moment Meredy followed him. Natsu glanced down at Erza who was staring at Jellal's back with tears streaming down her face. He set off after Jellal, not once looking back at Erza lying in the dirt.