So this is the first Nalu fanfic I've ever made, derived from an original short story I wrote. To fit the original plot line with the Nalu, I had to make a few changes with the ending of the Tartaros arc— more specifically the part where Natsu left Fairy Tail and the subsequent disbandment of Fairy Tail.

I hope my inexperience and horrible knowledge of the English language isn't that obvious. Anyways enjoy~!

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima!

Natsu Dragneel laid against the warm cement of the roof, his eyelids shielding his eyes from the sun's bright rays. His fingers were intertwined against his head, a small smile on his face, relishing the peaceful sounds of birds chirping and people chattering from below. It was tranquil and calm, so unlike the previous times filled with his friends pestering him with useless questions.

It was unfair of him to think that, he supposed, but he needed some goddamn peace and quiet, and none of them refused to give it to him.

There was a flutter— a breeze— by his side, and her scent of cherry blossoms and vanilla carried its way over to him- so strong, it seemed to be from his imagination. A hint of heat brushed against his skin, but his eyes remained closed, refusing to meet the warm chocolate-colored eyes of the person that laid next to him. "Natsu," she sang softly, but no response came from the boy. "Natsu, look at me."

"What is it, Lucy?"

She let out a giggle, sounding like soft bells in his ears. "Natsu, they're waiting for you."

Natsu's eyebrows furrowed, and his bottom lip puckered ever so slightly. "So?" he said harshly. "It's probably just another party or something."

"They're your friends!"

"I don't need them!" he snapped, but the weight of his words burrowed deeply into his heart, sinking the hope that had remained there still. "Luce, I..." His voice trailed off, unable to find the words necessary to rectify the situation.

There was another breeze, this time gently brushing against his hair, almost as if they were fingers playing with his pink locks. "I know, Natsu. You need time." Her voice was so gentle and understanding, and he wanted nothing more than to thank her, nothing more than to tell her that he—

But it wasn't as simple as that, now was it? Especially not for someone as complex as one Natsu Dragneel.

"Time," Natsu started, his eyes burning. "It isn't something that can help me."

"Time will heal you, Natsu," Lucy whispered, "because it heals everyone."

An empty laugh escaped Natsu. "Everyone says that, Luce, but... but still... the scars remain." Her voice echoed his, and finally Natsu's eyes opened in surprise. She stood before him in a beautiful, white sundress, looking as beautiful and as innocent as the sakura trees nearby. He flinched, lowering his head to make it easier for himself. "Losing Igneel... I... it..." Natsu struggled to find the right words that would show his true feelings, but dammit, he couldn't find anything. Nothing could convey his true thoughts, his true feelings, the mourning and pain and confusion and anger that he felt. And no one would be able to understand.

Including Lucy. Especially Lucy.

"Natsu..." She stepped closer to him, but Natsu quickly stepped back, his eyes staring at Lucy's painted toes. They were pretty and pink, and he found them odd. The color was so bright and happy...

Lucy sighed, and her feet moved from his line of sight. For a moment, silence reigned, with Lucy out of his sight doing who knows what, while he himself stood frozen, unable— no, refusing— to move. Finally, she spoke, "Remember when we first met?" At that, Natsu looked up, their eyes finally meeting. Lucy smiled, patting the spot next to her, and transfixed, Natsu's body followed. He sat next to her only inches away, and he could almost feel the heat radiating from her.

"Yeah, at Hargeon." His voice was rough, but the two ignored it.

Lucy giggled, her eyes trained on the ground below. "I didn't expect the fact that you were part of Fairy Tail. If anything, I kinda looked down on you because you seemed like an idiot."

A tick appeared on Natsu's forehead, and he glared at Lucy. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?" he barked.

Lucy giggled again. "I thought you were an idiot, stupid. Anyways..." Her smile faded. "When that fake captured me, I... I lost faith in the guild that had always given me comfort in hard times. But you." The smile reappeared, stronger and more radiant than ever, and Natsu couldn't help but smile back. "You came and rescued me and offered to take me to Fairy Tail. Me, a weak Celestial Mage!"

"Lucy—"

Lucy held up her hand, that smile still gentle on her face. "I don't know how, but you saw something in me— something that caused you to believe in me when no one else had. And I don't think I could ever thank you enough for that." Lucy looked away, her lips twitching. "You gave me happiness that day, Natsu. You gave me friends— a family, really... people I could count on. Because of you, I was able to settle down and get this apartment, too!" Another laugh escaped her as she patted the roof of the apartment building she had occupied since her entrance to Fairy Tail.

Natsu smiled slightly. "Even though Happy and I always raided it whenever we felt like it."

Lucy's eyebrows twitched. "Yes, that is true, isn't it?" she murmured, her voice taking on a dangerous edge, and Natsu scooted an arm's length away.

"It was simpler then," Natsu said, laughing as his voice became wistful. "I'd always eat your food, prank you, sleep with you—" Natsu paused before turning a bright red. "W-we'd always argue about this and that."

"You'd also come in when I'm out and try to look for my novel," Lucy added. At that, Natsu cried out in indignation, to which Lucy sent him a knowing glare. "I'm not stupid, Natsu. Just because I only caught you once doesn't mean that you only did it once."

"Fair point," Natsu grumbled, crossing his arms in a reluctant admittance to defeat.

"And remember when Phantom Lord captured me?" Her voice was light, almost as if carefully treading on heavily trapped grounds.

At that, Natsu scowled. "I don't know how we managed to forgive Gajeel and Juvia for that," he grumbled, but there was no poison in his words. If anything, it was almost affectionate.

"It was a scary time for all of us," Lucy admitted. "And I felt like it was all because of me. Maybe if I hadn't left Dad, maybe if I hadn't joined Fairy Tail, you guys wouldn't have been hurt. But those were stupid thoughts. Seeing you guys fight for me and yourselves—" Lucy giggled, her eyes brightening. "It reminded me of why I joined in the first place. It was a scary time for me, but I trusted you guys."

"Enough to throw yourself from a fucking tower," Natsu muttered, and Lucy made to whack him in the arm (which he dodged with a grace he had accumulated from years of fighting).

"I heard you and your loud voice even from up there, idiot!"

"Oh, please! Not with the way you were screaming my name!" Natsu cackled, internally screaming at the double meaning of his words.

"Yes, well," Lucy said, turning away from him. Her eyes trailed to the cherry trees that stood quite a distance away. A small smile appeared on her face as she remembered. "And remember that one time I got sick, just in time for the Hanami?" Lucy eyed him, taking note of the blush on his face and the defensive stance he held himself in.

"You always had the best timing, Luce."

Undeterred, Lucy continued, "While you guys were busy having fun playing bingo, I was left alone to my thoughts— not that it's a bad thing, Natsu! It's just... while I was sick, I really did come to be thankful for you guys. Even though we always run into trouble—" The two looked at each other, sharing a grin, "—we always had each other's backs. Especially you, Natsu. You always had everyone's back, including mine."

"And you had mine," Natsu assured, his hand reaching towards hers, but quickly pulling away at the last second.

Lucy winced to herself, but she shrugged the sting off. "I really appreciated you guys then, even now." Natsu winced at the reminder, and he angled his body away from her.

The present was unforgiving. But so was the past.

Natsu stared harshly at the walkways and the canal below his feet, willing for it to spontaneously combust so he wouldn't have this conversation with Lucy. "I thought that I'd have to wait for next year to see the blossoms, but imagine my surprise when I saw the famed Rainbow Sakura pass by." Natsu blinked quickly, feeling something in his eyes. "Even though it meant getting in trouble with the mayor, you and Happy were still adamant on making me happy, and for that, Natsu—" her voice thickened, making it harder for her to keep it steady and harder for him to keep his composure, "—for that, Natsu, I thank you. Thank you. Thank you for everything. Thank you for the friendships and kindness you provided. Thank you for the security you always were willing to give me. Thank you for the fun and adventure you, Erza, Gray, Happy— everybody, really— gave me. Thank you for giving my life meaning, for giving me something to fight for. And, Natsu, most of all... thank you for giving me a love I had always wanted."

At that, Natsu slid away from her, his heart pounding so much it hurt. His feet touched the cement roof, his back scratching against the rough surface of cement. "Then why," he started, his nails digging deep into his skin enough to draw blood, but the pain— it was nothing compared to what he felt in his chest. "Lucy— god, tell me why." He stood from his spot, whirling around in anger. His hand reached out, attempting (but knowing it was useless) to rest on her shoulders and pull her towards him, to make her meet his eyes, to make her fucking tell him— because dammit, it hurt not knowing— but his hand only went through and touched nothing but air.

"Tell me Lucy! Tell me, why did you leave me if you loved me?" His whole body shook in anger, fists clenching open and closed. Tears trailed down his cheeks, but he paid it no mind. He stared at Lucy's head, the intensity almost burning holes in the back of her head. "Why did you leave me?" He was broken, and it was in his words that it became clearer than day the mourning and pain he had been through.

She was quiet for a moment, her legs gently tapping against the cement from where she sat. Finally she looked behind her, meeting his tortured onyx eyes, her own chocolate-brown eyes deeper than he could fathom. "Fairy Tail wasn't ready to let go of a fire as bright and comforting as you are, Natsu," she said, voice becoming one with the breeze.

A belated anger burned deep in Natsu's gut, and his fists clenched as if readying himself for a fight. "Fairy Tail wasn't ready to lose the star that had always given them light in times of darkness, Luce." He tore his eyes away from her, hiding the emotions that brewed within. "I wasn't ready..."

"No one really was."

"Igneel?" Natsu whispered, voice breaking, his arms out in front of him, reaching for something that only he could see. "Igneel, please, please don't... Igneel!" He broke down then and there, repeating his dad's name like a broken record, tears escaping his closed eyes.

"Natsu..." Lucy brushed his hair affectionately, eyebrows furrowed in worry. Natsu continued to sob- that is, until he didn't. Slowly, his eyes opened into the harsh reality of the present, standing from where he had crumpled on the bed, a steely glint in his eyes as he brushed away Lucy's comforting hands. "Natsu, where are you going?" Her grip on his arm slackened when he turned angered eyes towards her.

"Acnologia must die." With those chilling words, he leapt out the open window of Lucy's apartment.

He had been absent from Lucy's apartment for a full week until somehow, Lucy had caught up to him, tired but fine. Natsu panicked at the bruises that lined her body, but she insisted that she was fine, wanting nothing more than to accompany her friend in his endeavour. Natsu was confused, asking her what she meant, since it was only a mission, after all.

But Lucy wasn't stupid. She had known what Natsu's plans were and damn if she let him go on such a dangerous path.

So she accompanied him, Natsu only allowing her to join with Happy's pleas. They were almost done with Natsu's missions when something went horribly, horribly wrong.

It all happened so quickly.

Natsu, for all his life, was a child of action. With the constant danger that followed with the duty of being a mage, Natsu had always assumed that it would be action he and his friends would be surrounded by once they passed.

And, in a way, it was true.

It had been quick. Natsu and Lucy thought they had managed to get rid of the band of mages that plagued a small town- all except for one, that is. The mage in question had been affiliated with a lost dark magic that specialized in curses- curses that didn't seem like curses under an untrained eye. At the time, Natsu had scoffed at the mage's power, underestimating the true extent of the potency of the mage's magic. Even when they faced the mage herself, Natsu had underestimated her power.

He defeated her in one move.

It wasn't until later he found out what her power meant. After the fight, Lucy complained of a headache, requesting if they could stay an extra day so she could nurse it. Natsu agreed, sending her to the inn with Happy while he would buy the tickets back to Magnolia. He came back to a sobbing Happy and an unresponsive Lucy.

With a speed he didn't know he had, Natsu carried her back to Fairy Tail, throwing the train's ticket to the side. A journey worth three days was completed in one.

He burst into the guild, panting and carrying Lucy in his arms. The next moments were chaotic and confusing and a complete blur as Natsu found himself exhausted from the journey. He awoke in the infirmary days later, Gray and Erza by his side, but no Lucy. Quietly, they explained to him that she was resting in her apartment, and for a moment, Natsu was relieved, not realizing the tears that accumulated in his friends' eyes. He visited Lucy with sore, but working legs, only to collapse once more once he heard the conversation between Wendy and Porlyuisca.

Lucy was dying, and there was no known cure.

Perhaps if he realized that the mage had cursed Lucy even before she had arrived in town. Perhaps if he hadn't killed that mage so brashly...

He visited her a night later, unable to see her so quickly after the news. He brought Happy with him, and the two snuggled with Lucy, forgetting for just a few but needed moments that their friend was dying. The next morning, they woke up to a tired but happy Lucy.

... maybe, just maybe, Lucy would have been lively enough to kick him and Happy out her apartment. Maybe, just maybe, she would be alive today.

The sickness that plagued Lucy worsened, but it didn't seem like it. There were no physical signs. She was just tired, always tired, and it was only through her friends' help that Lucy even managed to stay in her apartment.

In one particular night, Natsu and Happy were staying with her, Lucy in Natsu's arms, and she said, "I want to be with you forever, Natsu. I think I love you." Natsu heard her, snuggling her deeper into his chest, and the two fell asleep in that position, taking in each other's warmth. He would tell her tomorrow that he loved her, when a new day would bloom across the land, when the sun would highlight her beautiful face.

The next day, Natsu woke up, a small smile on his face, words repeating themselves over and over in his head, and he brushed the hairs that had fallen on Lucy's face. It was a particularly warm day, but Lucy...

Lucy was as cold as ice.

He screamed and yelled Lucy's name, hugging her close to his body, rubbing her skin as if to warm her up again. He woke Happy up in the process, and the terrified Exceed flew out Lucy's apartment to notify Wendy and the guild of the frightening incident.

Help had come too late, and the Fairy Tail guild arrived to a sobbing Natsu and lifeless Lucy.

Losing Igneel... I don't know why, but... it felt like nothing when I lost you, Luce.

Natsu had always been a source of warmth for everyone around him, encouraging those who had little fight left in them, but that day, something switched.

He became as cold as the emptiness in his heart.

"I want to be with you forever, Natsu." But I don't think I can.

"I love you, Natsu," Lucy said, her hand reaching out and ruffling his pink hair. "I just wish I could stay with you forever." Her hand trailed down to his face, and tears resurfaced when he felt the softness of her hand. "And, well... I think I always will." She gave him a small smile.

Tilting his face to fit the curve of her hand, Natsu closed his eyes, whispering, "Me too, Luce." He stood there for a while, eyes closed and leaning into her comforting touch. He relished this moment, short as it may be. Even when he felt the breeze again, he stood still, the tears escaping once more.

His eyes opened, and all he saw was the beautiful expanse of the clear spring sky.

Her words were as clear as the blue sky that graced Natsu's sight, almost as if it were a blanket of comfort— a shroud, one could even say— to Natsu's mourning. Still, they echoed on his mind, but it was only now in this moment he realized the truth and love behind them.

He closed his eyes, allowing the gentle spring breeze to soothe the burden inside, allowing the sounds of spring to carry away the pain, allowing the scents of spring to brandish hope anew inside. A small smile appeared on Natsu's face- never mind the tiny drops of water that landed on his lips. Perhaps later he would go to the memorial his friends hosted every year in memory of Lucy Heartfilia.

His muscles relaxed as the crisp air of the spring breeze danced across the skin and his hair. The half-smile on his face widened ever so slightly as the scents of Magnolia washed over him, and his closed eyes crinkled. His hands supporting his head, his right leg crossed over his left knee, his chest rising every so often in punctuated intervals, Natsu Dragneel was the very picture of serenity.

In the distance, cherry blossoms fluttered to the ground.

URgh, I don't know why but I'm so disappointed with this fic. But I needed to get this out, mistakes and imperfections and all. Anyways, I hope it's good enough, and any kind of reviews are welcomed, though flames will be given to a hungry Natsu~!

-EccentricFangirl777