Natsu stared across the rippling lake in Oslo, Norway. He was so done with life. He was eighteen and had been for several hundred years. It's not that he didn't enjoy having the body of a teen, he was just so tired of seeing the death of his friends and the passing of time without aging. He had watched all his close friends from over the centuries meet their soulmates and live their lives to the fullest. He had traveled the world looking for the one, the one who would become his soulmate.

Lisanna Strauss and her siblings, Elfman and Mirajane, found theirs back in the 16th century. They all had pure white hair and bright blue eyes and big caring hearts. Natsu had been convinced that Lisanna was his soulmate. They had grown up together in the sixth colony in pre-USA and were the best of friends. The Strauss' had accepted Natsu into their home till he found his soulmate. He had asked her out when they were fifteen and they dated for six years. Lisanna broke it off with him when they realized they hadn't changed three years after they turned eighteen. They were heartbroken. It hurt Natsu so much more when twenty years later she had found an Italian boy named Bixlow, they had started dating, then they both started aging.

Soon her older brother Elfman had fallen for Bixlow's German friend Evergreen. Evergreen pretended to despised Elfman's attempts but everyone knew they were soulmates. She eventually decided to accept Elfman and they moved out west to raise their family in isolation. Natsu didn't see them age, for which he was partially thankful for. Nothing hurt him more than see his friends age because then that meant they were dying.

Natsu moved to Norway with their older sister Mirajane, were they lived for the next forty-five years. They were happy. Mira acted as Natsu's mother, she had been there for his entire life. She found her soulmate, a tall bulky blonde named Laxus. Natsu lived with them till their death, he felt like he should take care of them for everything Mira had done for him. He left Norway and didn't return there or to America for a long, long while.

About twenty years later he met a small boy the age of seven. He was wondering the streets of Rome. Natsu found that the child's parents had died. But contrary to his backstory the boy still smiled. Natsu decided to name the boy Happy because Happy didn't remember his actual name. The two stayed together for a number of years.

One day after Happy had been eighteen for about thirty years Natsu stumbled upon a raven-haired male stripping in the middle of a street. Happy and Gray had gotten along well so Happy invited him to join them on their many adventures. Natsu wasn't too thrilled that the 'stripper' joined them. But they soon became close friends and Gray stayed much to Natsu's (fake) annoyance.

The next addition to their little family was Erza Scarlet. She decided to join them to make sure Natsu and Gray didn't kill each other. Natsu later found out the two grew up together and they had thought they were each other's soulmates at one point. She became like a motherly figure and took care of them for the next forty-eight years. They had gone out to the mountains for a week-long camping trip when they were attacked by a small girl with blue hair, a toddler and her older brother. He also had blue hair and an intricate red tattoo on the right side of his face. Natsu's group defeated them but then Natsu invited them to join the group. Erza and Jellal (the older brother) started dating and started aging. They stayed in Germany because they had wanted to raise a family without moving so much. Saying goodbye to them was hard. Natsu hadn't expected to lose Erza. Well, he didn't expect to lose her so soon.

Wendy and Carla (the smaller bluenette and the used to be a toddler with white-blonde hair) had decided to stay with them. Within fifteen years the whole group was eighteen… and not aging.

They traveled around for a hundred or so years. At this time Natsu had visited every country, except America and Norway, at least twice and now Wendy and Carla had visited every country once, Gray had taken them where Natsu refused to go. Wendy had become the best doctor Natsu or Gray had met. She had gathered herbs from all the countries and could cure anything that tried to ail her small family.

After traveling for twenty years Happy had finally convinced Carla to give him a chance and they slowly began to age in front of Natsu. His heart was slowly breaking. This was his best friend, his little brother. Of course, he was happy that Happy had found his soulmate and he could finally live out his life like he was meant to live, but the pain was still almost unbearable, but Natsu shoved his emotions aside to be happy, truly happy, for his friend.

Gray had found a pretty bluenette named Juvia in Russia. After about the tenth time of running into her, he knew she would eventually join their family. Natsu knew they would get together when he saw the love in the girl's eyes. Juvia had followed the group for a good year before Natsu asked her to join them. Juvia was there when Happy and Carla became too old to travel anymore.

Natsu took them back to Rome, where he had found Happy a long time ago. Natsu literally felt his heartbreak when he had to turn away from Happy for the last time. To his right Juvia held Gray close, they were leaning against the side of the building they left the aging couple, their cries were heartbreaking on their own. Natsu couldn't turn to his left where he heard Wendy's sobs and screams. He started walking down the street when two pale arms wrapped around his torso holding him still and heart wrenching sobs came from the girl. Soon he felt wet spots seep through his shirt. He instinctively put his hand on hers. When her crying calmed down to just sniffles and hiccups. They continued on their adventure. What they didn't know was Carla and Happy watched them from their room and tears streaming down their faces. Their arms securely around each other as they watched their friends continue on their journey without them.

After sixty years three more additions had been added to their small family. Gajeel, Romeo, and Pantherlily were cousins and joined them about twenty years ago. They filled part of the hole that Happy and Carla left. They had many adventures together. The adventures were filled with laughter, smiles, and fights (well Gray, Natsu, and Gajeel). Juvia always attempted to get Gray's attention, but Gray seemed to be immune to her advances.

Romeo and Wendy seemed to get cozier then 'just friends' would be. Sure enough, within a year of Natsu noticing them, they had gotten together. Natsu thought they were the cutest couple ever. Wendy blushed madly whenever Romeo made any hint at liking her even after dating for a year. Before their hair started turning gray they left to go to Japan, Wendy's favorite country by far. Saying goodbye to their family was the hardest thing Wendy had ever had to do… even after leaving Happy and Carla. Wendy waited until after they parted to truly mourn.

Natsu promised himself that he wouldn't allow another person to join his family. Once the ones currently in his family were the last he would ever call family. Natsu decided he will no longer get close to anyone, not even his soulmate.

Natsu decided that he wanted to visit his childhood homes. So the group; Gray, Juvia, Gajeel, Pantherlily, and Natsu traveled back to Oslo, Norway. Juvia had found a friend after their arrival. She had big brown eyes and long flowing blonde hair. Juvia wanted her, and her few friends, to join their group. The blonde introduced herself as well as her friends. Her name was Lucy; her friends were Levy, the short one, and Cana, the drunkard. Natsu denied immediately. Everyone was astonished, especially Gray who had been there the longest. Natsu angrily stomped off to a lake that was on the outskirts of town. He could hear his family

As he stared out across the lake he'd been alive long enough to know that sometimes one's soulmate wouldn't accept their other half and then they'd be forever eighteen, unless something unexpected happens and they accidentally died. He also knew that people usually find their soulmate after about a hundred years. Natsu didn't want to stay eighteen but he also knew his soulmate would probably reject him. He had been alive for centuries and had freaking pink hair of all colors. He had seen so much death and tragedy that he didn't know if he could love anyone outside of his current family.

"Hey, Natsu… um, can I talk to you?" a shy voice asked behind him. Natsu inwardly groaned. He turned his head slightly and caught a glimpse of blonde hair.

"What do you want?' Natsu snapped. He heard her take a step back, and he felt bad for snapping.

"I was wondering why you rejected us. Gray said that you have been accepting of-" Natsu didn't let her finish. He turned around and glared. Lucy had involuntarily let out a small whimper.

"You don't understand the pain of watching each and every one of your friends die before your eyes! You don't get that I watched my best friends grow up and die before my eyes! You don't understand that if I let you into my family I will just have three more people die! You don't freaking understand!" Natsu yelled. He instantly felt bad. Lucy didn't deserve that, she just wanted to join his family. He turned back around and sat down.

"You think I don't understand." Natsu heard Lucy whisper slowly. He heard her sit down beside him. She continued, "You think I don't understand how it feels to watch your family and friends die in front of your eyes! Ohhh Natsu you don't understand. I watched my friends die BEFORE they met their soulmate. They didn't know what romantic love was. You should be happy your friends got to have true love before they died. You should be freaking happy." Lucy let out a shuddering breath and Natsu saw a couple wet spots on her dress. He winced, he hated it when people cried.

Natsu was about to apologize when Gray came over to them. "Natsu we are heading out. We need to leave now if we want to make it to America by the next full moon." Natsu started to protest. "Lucy, Levy, and Cana are coming with us because they were going to America, to begin with. Your opinion is invalid at this point, we voted, they're coming." Natsu didn't respond. They walked back to their combined group together.

Later than Natsu would've liked they got on a boat to sail to America. Each room held four people, Juvia, and Lucy's group got one room, Natsu with his group got the other.

Natsu wandered around the ship till he was gazing out over the ocean. He heard heavy footsteps coming from his right. Natsu recognized the footsteps from all their years together. "Hey, Gray," Natsu mumbled.

"We're together," Gray told him. He didn't even give a greeting.

"Took you long enough Snowflake. She's been waiting for close to a century." Natsu smirked. Gray finally manned up, Natsu could feel pride and sadness well fighting for his top emotion.

"Yeah," Gray scratched the back of his neck. "I just wanted to be sure she was the one."

"If I were her I woulda ditched your sorry butt fifty years ago."

"Shut up."

The silent question hung in the air. Did Gray and Juvia decide to continue traveling with them or would they decide that staying stationary would be best? Natsu's hands grasped the side of the boat until his knuckles turned white. Gray noticed Natsu's change of posture. He knew what Natsu wanted to ask but just couldn't bring himself to.

"We decided to stay in America. We know that you don't like-" Natsu cut him off.

"Yeah. I know." He gave Gray a small smile. Gray was filled with sadness as he watched Natsu head to the room. Natsu didn't deserve all the sadness and death that he had seen in his life. Hell, Gray knew he didn't deserve it either. No one deserves the amount of pain people get in this world.

Natsu decided that he should congratulate Juvia, for her soulmate and her persistence. He was so caught up in his thoughts, strange I know, that he didn't see Gajeel and the small bluenette talking quietly, they were totally going to get together- a month at the most (it was a gift... or a curse), or the fact that Lucy also wasn't paying attention to where she was going.

Lucy was confused. She had known Natsu for less than a week but she knew her feelings for him weren't just feelings she held for all her past friends. The feeling for Natsu was so much stronger. Lucy didn't know you could figure out who your soulmate was so quickly. If it was this easy how come it took others so long to figure it out? Maybe it was just wishful thinking. Suddenly she was pulled out of her thoughts when she ran into something hard.

She looked up into the face of the man she was just thinking of. Natsu's eyes were full of confusion and hurt. Her heart ached for him, Gray must have told him that he and Juvia started dating. She hadn't realized she was staring until Natsu raised an eyebrow at her smirking.

"Like what you see, Luce?" Lucy's face turned color of Natsu's hair and he laughed. Natsu ruffled her hair and continued down the hallway.

Lucy slowly smiled. Maybe Natsu would notice her, eventually.

They reached America two nights before the full moon. It was so different than what Natsu remembered, which was understandable. I mean, he hadn't been there in, literal, ages. His eyes darted to all the new buildings. He grew up in Virginia and now he steps into the bustling towns. His eyes were gleaming. He wished that Lisanna could be here to see this. He wanted her to see that all her hard work helped build the current state.

His eyes shifted to a certain blonde that just recently came into his life. He felt oddly protective over Lucy and he wasn't sure why. This feeling was foreign to him and he kind of liked it.

"Take a picture it'll last longer sweetie." Cana winked and nudged Natsu's ribs.

"What do you want Cana?" Natsu rolled his eyes. Cana was always up in people's business, not that anyone really minded. Though her drunk mind didn't give her a filter.

"Why don't cha jus' tell her how ya really feel," she slurred.

"I dunno what you're talking 'bout." Natsu grumbled.

"Oh come on Natsie," Cana purred. "You're giving her the same eyes Juvia has been giving Gray for years. Save the heartache and go get 'em."

Natsu sighed. Cana gave him a knowing glance. Natsu started walking toward the pretty blonde. She heard him coming and turned around to greet him.

"Hey Natsu," Lucy smiled.

"Hiya Luce." Natsu noticed that Lucy seemed happier than he'd seen her before, more content. "Are you enjoying it here?"

Her eyes shone when she responded, "I love it here! You see I grew up here. I had adopted parents, they had just found each other cause they didn't look too old, maybe twenty-five or thirty. Anyway, Mom found me when I was sixteen. She had been sad. When I asked why she said that her older brother had moved west and their eldest sister took her best friend to Norway. She looked so sad, but she still welcomed me with open arms. I watched her and her husband grow old." She paused a sad smile adorned her lips as she gently laughed. "Yeah, she always talked about how I would've probably been a great match for her best friend. I tried looking for him after her death but… alas, I didn't know much about him besides he moved to Norway and his name, which I have forgotten over all these years."

"What were their names?"

Lucy smiled softly then answered softly, "Bixlow and Lisanna Strauss."

…Natsu's world stopped. He hesitantly asked, "When where you born?"

"Oh, way back about mid-16th century." She smiled.

If he hadn't left with Mirajane he could've met Lucy, his soulmate, hundreds of years ago. But if he hadn't of left he wouldn't have met Happy, Erza, Gray, Juvia, Carla, Gajeel, Romeo, Wendy, Laxus, Jellal, or Pantherlily. Yeah, he could've met his soulmate years ago but he wouldn't exchange his friends or memories for ANYTHING. They were just too precious for him. His eyes once again met the eyes of his soulmate and grinned.

"What's that look for Natsu?" Lucy questioned. She had answered his question then his face changed from awe to regret to passion.

Natsu grinned, "My best friend was named Lissana Strauss and she married an Italian man named Bixlow. Then I left with her older sister to live in Norway.

Lucy stared at Natsu. If she had just been a little faster she could've met Natsu and been with him this whole time. Wait… If she had done that then she wouldn't have met Levy, Cana, Jet, Droy, Gildarts, Makarov, Mavis, Zeref, Loke, Virgo, or Plue. No, her friends and the memories she had were way too valuable to exchange for a short lifetime with her soulmate.

Her eyes met Natsu's again and she smiled sweetly.

"Just kiss already!" Nastu and Lucy jumped. Cana's slurred voice matched her disheveled clothing. "Oh Cana," Lucy laughed as she rushed over to help her friend.

Natsu knew he could make room in his heart for a couple more family members to love.

So many years had passed since they opened up and shared their connection in Virginia. Many years after their group continued on in their adventures. That day was one of the worst days of his life. Natsu and Lucy decided to stay in America with Juvia and Gray. Watching his family leaving him was so painful. His cries were heard long after they left. Natsu didn't realize the toll of your friends leaving you could take on a person. Gray, Juvia, Lucy, and Natsu grew old together. They traveled across America, every year a new adventure. Their kids had moved away thirty-some years ago.

Natsu looked down at the love of his life. Tears pooled in his eyes as he gazed on her beautiful features. Her eyes were closed, oh how he wished she would open them to reveal her beautiful brown eyes, and her lips looked covered in gloss. She wore the necklace he gave to her twenty some years before, it was a gold dragon with three red rubies. Though Lucy's face was relaxed some wrinkles showed on her skin. Lucy's hair laid around her face as a white halo. Lucy's hair had long turned white. Her dress was red, like the rose, it matched her nails and necklace. There were gold-like flowers in her pale hands.

Natsu held back a sob behind his wrinkled hand. The longer he looked the worse it hurt. He felt a hand on his shoulder and his eyes darted to his old friend's red-rimmed eyes. The tears in Gray's eyes broke Natsu's wall. He openly sobbed, his right hand clutched the area his heart beat. Gray pulled him into a tight hug. Natsu was there when Juvia breathed her last. Gray would stand by his dearest and oldest friend. No matter how much it hurt to see Lucy in the casket.

Natsu looked to his right, where his beautiful wife lay.

"Luce," he pleaded. "You can't leave me too Luce."

Gray patted his back whispering comforting words hoping to calm the heartbroken man clinging to him like he was his lifeline.

Natsu looked back right as the casket closed for the last time.

"LUCY NO!" Natsu yelled as he fought to get to his love. He heard Gray trying to calm him and holding him back. Natsu fell to his knees He felt numb, so numb. "Luce… I love you Luce. You weren't supposed to leave. I'll see you soon. You won't have to wait too long for me."