A/N: Hi everyone! I'm Alive! And if I'm not mistaken, it's nalu week! =D
This is prompt nr 1 - Wander. I hope I've done it right. I didn't write this one by hand first so let me know if and where it could use some work =)
Small update. I'm still working on the new story, it became a bit bigger than I expected at first so I'll need a bit longer than I first anticipated. I hope you can bare with me! If there's anything you would like me to write (something short) just go ahead and suggest it. As long as it isn't any bigger than can be written in an evening I'd be glad for the occasional break to gather my wits =)
This is "Natsu wanders home (to Lucy)"
When chapter 418 came out, I squealed like I've never done before. And the second time I read it, and the third. It's one of my favorite chapters. I've been waiting for the opportunity to write a little something containing it. If there's interest, I'd also consider adding a chapter two so to speak. =) Let me know if you want more, if you like! If I can manage it, I will write shortstories for all of Nalu week!
The stories in here aren't related!
Now to the story
Also, my status of ownership on Fairy Tail hasn't changes since I wrote Dancing with the Dragon, meaning I still don't own it =)
Natsu wanders home (to Lucy)
I hadn't really planned it. Honestly, I was just on my way to Magnolia, to the guild, home. I saw the posters all over town though. I'd been sleeping in my bedroll in a forest outside of the capitol and I'd just packed everything up and headed into town to get breakfast when I saw the first poster. Actually it was Happy who brought it to my attention
"Natsu! Look at this!" He called and flew over to me with a poster in his paws. I grabbed it from him and read.
"Great Magic Games, huh." I said.
"Maybe Fairy Tail are winning again!" Happy said and the thought alone plastered a grin on my lips. Oh, how wonderful it would be to see the guild again! Even Gray! Damn it, I thought, I've even missed the ice princess. The smile lingered on my lips, there was one blond beauty that was particularly in my mind.
"Come one then! I've gotta see the last fight, it says it's starting now!" I called to Happy and let my nose lead the way. I followed the smell of people, and eventually also the cries and cheers as we got closer and closer to the arena. My cloak flapped behind me as I ran and it was getting annoying, but it wasn't like I was going to leave it behind. I've gone through great trouble to get it after all. My scarf was wrapped around my neck, of course. The bandage I'd been sporting on my right arm still held, thank goodness, I was not a good medic.
The closer we got to the arena, the louder the shouts of encouragement for the fighters, the more excited I became. It was like all the training I'd done all over again; every time I'd run into an enemy they were always shouting and flaling, just like these people sounded. It got my blood boiling, my heart pounding, my fists clenching, my muscles flexing under their bandages. I was excited to say the least and with it came the urge to run even faster. Happy had a hard time keeping up with me, I was running so fast!
By the time I saw the arena I couldn't have dreamed of holding back. I hardly even heard the commentators yel ofl "Skull Million is going to win!" I grinned. No way were they going to win against Fairy Tail.
I ran past the guards, no one tried to stop me. Maybe they couldn't I didn't even care. Maybe I was burning, literally, and no one dared go near me. By the time I was noticed I already stood in the arena and all my flames had been concentrated in the ball of excitement that was my being. Oh the smell, the cheers which were quieting down at the appearance of me, the intruder. I kinda like the sound of that. I had to grin at the stupid faces these people were making. I wanted to laugh. They didn't know what was coming! This would be perfect to show my strength, the perfect opponent, the best in Fiore.
"You've got big balls, picking a fight in the capital."
"This guy, could he be the one in recent reports, the wandering, black cloaked…"
"Come one, there's no way."
It was then that it dawned on me. Looking around the little I could under my hood. Fairy tail wasn't here and as much as it bothered me, I couldn't quite quench the excitement that had coursed through me at the run here and the flame that was now burning in the pit of my stomach. Maybe they had been kicked out before, maybe they were third, cause they hadn't been fighting these punks just now.
"So you chumps are the number one guild in Fiore, huh?" I said and my voice was surprisingly angry. Their faces bothered me. The fire burned me into anger and the anger excited me. I had to clench my fists, I needed the right moment.
"Year, what of it, bitch?"
At that I just had to grin, it was perfect. My hands balled into tight fists as they lit on fire and the wildest grin spread over my lips.
"I'm you next CHALLENGER!" I punched my fire at them and if flew from my in glorious power, oh the growth I've worked towards the past year, it was glorious. They didn't even have a change, they were beaten within moments.
"He's gone and taken them all on!" The commentator called through the crackling and hissing of my flames as they spread over the entire arena. Yes, I thought. That's exactly what I've done. I grinned and let loose a glorious burst of flame. The whole place could have gone up in flame if it wasn't for my brilliant control. My heart sang at the exquisite feeling of my accomplishments.
"What is this heat?" Someone shouted. I grinned.
"Heat?" You say? Yes. Heat, you say. Brilliant flame, gloriously powerful not to harm a single soul in the entire audience… except for their clothes… and maybe a few tupés.
Then I heard her voice. That voice made me grin even wider but not with that wild abandon that everyone knows.
"NATSU!" She shouted in astonishment and all the other people's voices were unimportant. I turned to her and before I could completely look at her Happy appeared at her side.
"Long time no see, Lucy."
"Happy?" She called and turned away from me. She was holding her chest, I'd burned a bit too much of her clothing. Damn… I don't know if I wish I'd burned more or less of it. Her hair had grown over the year. It was long now and she wore it all in a bow on the side of her head. She was wearing a short skirt as I was so used to seeing her in. She looked simply beautiful.
"What?"
"Well, Natsu, you see, at any cost… just had to see what the champions of the tournament were made of, so…" Well, that was quite eloquently put, I must say.I would have to remember to give him an extra fish as thanks for giving a reason for "strolling by".
Shouts were coming from behind me and I had to turn away from the beautiful sight that was Lucy. I grinned as a horde of mages came at me. This was what I trained for.
"Someone! Anyone! I don't care who! Bring it on!" I called, readying another fist full of flame. This was a perfect opportunity to test my flames against a real enemy, hopefully.
"Someone stop this lunatic!"
An arena full of mages, perfect.
"I'm getting all fired up!" I roared and my roar went up in flames. I think this time I might have burned the arena to a crisp. Oh the smell of burning stone. It was glorious.
"Geez… you need to learn how to hold back a bit, Natsu." Happy chided and I turned to him, ready to tell him he liked it just as much as I did, which was true, but my words caught in my throat when I saw Lucy looking at me. I saw how she didn't really recognise me at first. Her confusion at the black cape, the bandages and my very long pink hair. The arena around her was melting and she held onto her chest in confusion. She gave me a funny look and I couldn't help but answer my hearts command to grin, smile and even blush a little.
"Yo, it's been a while, hasn't it? Lucy" I said It felt so good to say her name again. For an entire year I'd been avoiding it. For an entire year I'd been trying not to think about her, failing, I might add. And there she stood in front of me, in her, almost naked gloriousness. I can't even describe how much I've missed her.
It took way too long before I actually got to talk to her. I had to get a pardon from the king and everything! And Virgo had to come out and get her a new outfit. It was a bit of a hastle. Happy chided me again, Lucy was making weird faces that I couldn't really understand. All in all though, I was desperately happy to be in the same room as her again.
It took too long of course. I'm not a patient person. But in the end we strolled down the street, Lucy leading the way.
The sun was already setting casting a beautiful red shimmer over the sky and casting long shadows behind us. I hurried to walk besides Lucy but she didn't look at me when I watched her face. She was just as beautiful as that sunset, any sunset for that matter and I'd seen my share of sunsets over the years.
"Hey, Happy." I said and turned to him. "Mind getting us some fish for dinner?" The mention of fish was probably enough to have him excited. He fluttered up and down, pulling at his cheeks
"I remember this brilliant place we ate at last year!" He shouted "Natsu! In what direction?" I sniffed the air lightly. Grinned and pointed behind us, remembering what place he was talking about. He didn't even hear my good bye before he flew off all excited. I smiled after him, wondering if he'd remember to get fish for Lucy and me too.
Lucy and I kept walking for another while in silence. I was trying to think of ways to talk to her, to start up a conversation. There was so much I wanted to ask her, ask her how she'd been for one, ask her if she'd missed me at all. Ask her how everyone was. How they'd been doing for the past year, but I couldn't get the words in the right order. My mouth kept getting distracted by memories of our surroundings, the buildings that we wandered past. We walked for a while in silence. Chatting people passed us, couples holding hands, a boy or two chasing each other with loud shouts of laughter. The walls of buildings were ever present, ever a reminder of last year when we took back the title of best guild in Fiore Some of them even bore scars of the fights we'd been in afterwards with the whole dragon ordeal. The buildings felt like the trees of the many forests I'd slept in in the past year. Their stone rigidness felt strange but I was comforted by their height. They reminded me of trees and the trees reminded me of the year I'd been away from home.
Suddenly Lucy looked up and around.
"Where did Happy go?" She asked. I smiled.
"He went to buy us dinner." I said. Lucy nodded and turned away a small blush on her cheeks.
"Oh." Was all she said. I had to stop her then, a hand on her upper arm. Her skin was cold but she gasped so I guessed that I was the one who was warm rather.
"Lucy." I said. The sight of her face made me smile again. A soft smile. A smile I'd worn a lot over the past year, or so Happy said. Damn I'd missed her. "It's good to see you again." I said and without thinking about it, I drew her into a hug. A hug that I'd been dreaming of. A hug where I cradled her head to my shoulder and held her by the upper back to my chest. I hunched my shoulders, bent my head, everything I could to envelop her and cover her with my entire being. My nose went to her throat and I breathed in the sweet smell of strawberries. "I've missed you." I said.
Slowly her hands gripped my cloak and with its help pressed me close to her. It felt so good to just hold her close and have her hold me close to her too. I could stay like that forever.
Slowly though we broke apart and she had one of the sweetest smiles on her lips that I could ever imagine. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed as if she was sad. The glimmer in her eyes told me though that she wasn't. The glimmer in her eyes told me that she was probably the happiest girl in the world. My entire body tingled. I felt like I was on sweet fire. Like the sun was shining only for me. Red like my fire, beautiful like Lucy. And I bent down a little more and kissed her.
It was a sweet kiss. An explanation of how much I actually love her. It was soft as the tinkle of music. It was sweet, like a soft breeze and it tasted of her strawberries.
Slowly we broke apart from the kiss too. For a moment I looked into her eyes, a smile on my lips. There were tears in her eyes and I brushed one away when it rolled over her cheek.
"Welcome home." She said in a small voice and another tear fell from her eye. I kissed this one away the took her hand and we continued walking.
I don't know how long we walked for. I honestly don't really care. It was wonderful to hold her hand, whenever I thought it was a dream I could simply squeeze her hand and with her squeezing back, I knew that she was there and I would never let her go again. And so we wandered aimlessly through the capital, hand in hand, into the sunset. Untill Happy finally found us.
