Three Words

*Warning: Major character death*

Water is pooling around her ankles, her body trembling uncontrollably as she pounds against the metal walls of her prison, her chocolate eyes alight with pure terror.

She screeches and sobs and begs for help, but she knows no one will hear her- no one can save her.

Not even him.

The water rises and her breaths come out in short, quick gasps. It stops around her thighs, as if to tease her- to prolong her inevitable death. She searches in vain for a way out, but there's nothing. No cracks in the walls, no imperfections in the design.

From childhood she had always been terrified of small, enclosed spaces. She was terrified of being alone, of not even having her spirits with her- not knowing what was going to happen to them.

And she was terrified of drowning.

Silently she wishes she had just let him come on the mission with her. She wishes she hadn't been so fucking stupid. She wishes she could change the three words she had spoke to him.

"Promise you'll come home?"

"Cross my heart."

And now her chance was over.

She wasn't leaving this chamber alive.

Her mind snaps back to the matter at hand when the water suddenly rises. She backs into one of the corners as the water quickly reaches her naval before slowing down drastically, but not stopping.

Tears slip down her cheeks and ragged sobs begin to tear from her bloodied lips. Dirt and grime was being washed off of her in the water, but she hardly notices, only focusing on her impending death.

She leans her head back against the corner and tries to tell herself to breathe- to focus on something more pleasant.

His name leaves her lips in a whisper, and she shivers as the water suddenly turns ice cold, rising just below her generous assets.

Just thinking of him was enough to calm her down. Her heart still pounds against her chest and she still trembles, but she was filled with a certain warmth that only he could bring her.

She remembered all the way back to the first time she met him- the time he brought her to Fairy Tail.

The water rises just above the swell of her breasts.

The time he dragged her on an S-Class mission. The time he saved her from Phantom Lord.

The water reaches her collarbone.

When they fought the Oracion Seis. When they fought for their friends in Edolas.

The water brushes her chin and she gasps as more tears fall down her cheeks. She tilts her head back and sews her eyes shut, gulping thickly.

When they went to the S-Class trials. When they fought Grimore Heart.

When she said that it was always more fun when they were together.

The water is nearly too high now, and she sobs loudly, wishing he could be there to be her knight- no. Her dragon. To chase away all of her fear and pain. To save her because that's what he had loved to do.

But it was all a fruitless hope.

She forgot the ending to her saying anyway. She had condemned herself to this pathetic death, and she felt bitterness seep into her words.

"Hope to die." She whispered just as the freezing water engulfed her.

"Luce, I just have a bad feeling about this one."

Lucy smiled to her partner, coming over to him and tilting her head slightly at his stern gaze. Her suitcase lay open on her bed, filled with bare necessities and a change of clothes.

"I'll just be rounding some bandits up, Natsu." She says, reaching up to pat him on the cheek, letting her hand linger. "Have a little faith."

"I do," He said almost instantly, taking her small hand within his own. "You know I do."

Her heart leaps into her throat and she can't help but smile at him with gratitude. It was wrong of her to ever doubt how highly he thought of her skill and strength. She only saw truth in his eyes when he spoke about it.

But she also saw the uneasiness and concern in his emerald orbs, and he wasn't trying to hide it. Perhaps thinking that if he showed enough it was stop her from going alone.

"Yes." Her voice was soft and she grabbed his other hand with her free one. "I know." She paused for a moment, looking down at their joined hands. "It's not like I'll be alone, I'll have my spirits with me."

"Not all of them can come out on their own if you need their help." He stressed, stepping closer to her- closer than two people who were strictly friends should stand. "Something could happen and, and who will protect you if I'm not there? What happens if-"

The blonde cut him off by squeezing his hand, the fire mage letting out a small breath. A moment passed before he pulled her into his arms, surprising her with a small hug, and she swore she could feel him shake ever so slightly.

"Please, take me with you." He whispered in her ear. "If not me, Erza or even that bastard Gray. Something... something isn't right."

At his words she bit down on her bottom lip, winding her arms around his neck and leaning into him. She was beginning to feel nervous about it all as well, even more so since he used Gray's real name.

But as everyone had come to learn about her, she was stubborn. Once she was set to go, she wouldn't let anyone or anything stop her.

Leaning back slightly, she stood on her tippy toes and pressed a small kiss to his cheek, feeling him stiffen before she settled back on her feet. She pushed against his chest lightly so she could look up into his eyes, seeing them shine with unspoken words.

"I'm still going alone." She said quietly, keeping contact with her eyes. "But I'll be careful. If I think something is off even a little bit then I'll come straight back, okay?" He took a deep breath and nodded to her glancing back to her pink suitcase before looking back at her.

"Promise you'll come home?" He asked, the blonde nodding at him as she yearned to say three words that could describe how grateful she was to him, for his concern and his overall amazingness. Three words that could tell him just how much he meant to her.

But instead, she settled for three different ones and a smile.

"Cross my heart."

Angst Week- Bonus Day 1: Cross my heart

Angst week has begun. Prepare yourselves.

-FireDragonPhia