Well here I am about to conquer my fear and try my attempt at writing for the wonderful world of . Please read and offer reviews of constructive criticism. I want to improve my writing for this website's audience.

This story is indulgence into my guilty pleasure of being obsessed with Fairy Tail and the magnificent ship of Nalu- my otp! Unfortunately, I do not own anything except the concept of this story's plot. The real story of Fairy Tail and its characters belong to my hero- HIRO MASHIMA SENSEI!

Spoilers!

This story will be pure rotten (fluffy) Nalu. It should be at least two-three chapters. It is loosely based on the last Fairy Tail chapter, 516. The moment Igneel explains everything to Natsu and Natsu looks very sad. It is meant to be taken as a What-if story, not to substitute Mashima's work in anyway.

Silence fell throughout Natsu's heart. Only the swift flames rippling from Igneel's nose, could be heard. A single tear slid down Natsu's cheek as he turned to meet Igneel's glare once again. "So… there's really nothing I can do," Natsu whispered towards the representation of his father. Ingeel sighed and shifted his gaze away from his son, as if to avoid the pain in Natsu's olive eyes. "Natsu, my son," steamed Igneel, "If only I could've protected you from yourself, then maybe it wouldn't have come to this." The harsh words further solidified the graveness of the matter at hand. "My family….Happy…Lucy" Natsu gasped as he fell to his knees, furthering into a fetal position. He could no longer hold the tears back. The gates holding back his emotions fell and he cried out in anguish.

Natsu's pain resounded as Igneel's flames danced around father and son. "Natsu…" Igneel whispered as he gently nudged his nose into Natsu's side. "Natsu, there's little time left. Might you want to say good bye," the dragon questioned the small frame in front of him. Natsu moved slightly from the touch, and was able to choke out in a small cry, "I was supposed to stop this." "I know my boy," Igneel mumbled back, "you were supposed to defeat Zeref and save your family." Natsu cried until he could cry no more, surrounded by the warmth of this father. It seemed as no time had passed for him and his father.

When he had been a child, Igneel had always been his comfort from the world as any good father would. He had instilled within him a sense to live to the fullest but also the strength to see through anything through to the very end. Sadly, this wasn't the true Igneel and that same fire did not resonate within Natsu as his death crept ever closer. With the little strength he could muster, Natsu pulled himself into a small space between Igneel's claws. He hugged the dragon, trying to ignore the burning sensation in his abdomen. "Thank you for staying just for a little while," he whispered into the dragon's scales. "I'm always with you," Igneel sheathed. "Sure," Natsu sneered back. Grimacing, the representative dragon did not reply, but rather let the moment pass and silence fall.

As the pain increased, Natsu knew he could no longer avoid the inevitable. He knew without a doubt he was dying and it was time to say good bye to those who mattered more to him than he had ever fathomed. "I guess that's it. I have to say good bye." With this realization, Igneel disappeared into a ball of light causing Natsu to shield his eyes. As the light disappeared, Natsu covered his eyes and tried to make out the identity of a radiant figure standing before him. The light surrounding the figure grew dimmer, and replaced the brightness with a calming aura. Natsu could only make out that the figure was female. She wore a white floor-length dress, that seemed to have been designed after a full corset/hooped dress that fancy ladies wore. The figure was taller than him, but had long flowing hair the color of the sun. It seemed to radiate brighter than any star had ever shown. Her chocolate eyes embodied something that began to tug at Natsu's heart, a feeling that can only be described as home….

"Lucy…" sighed the dragonslayer. The blonde turned her gaze to meet the dragonslayer's olive eyes, taking notice to the anguish buried deep within. "You might think, but you might not remember me," the blonde replied. "My name is Layla Heartfilia and I met you once upon a time ago." Confusion swept across Natsu's face, noticeable enough for Layla to take notice. "Natsu, I opened the gate that brought you to this time," Layla replied to the young man's confusion. "If you remember, you clung to me for dear life when you crossed the time portal, calling me Anna." The memory seemed hazy to Natsu as he barely recalled the terrifying moments after he had been shoved through the Eclipse Gate by Anna on Zeref's orders.

Eyeing the female with one eye squinted and the other very large. "Why are you here," he questioned her, "Aren't you Lucy's mom?" Layla smiled brightly and nodded. Natsu took in the uncanny resemblance mother and daughter held, noting how he could barely tell the difference between his Lucy and her mother. His heart felt a stabbing sensation at the thought of Lucy. "I am your escort between the worlds," Layla replied as she extended her hand to Natsu.

He looked at her sheepishly. "Escort? Am I already dead then?" The dread beginning to set in. Layla shook her head. "Not yet, I am here to take you back. Your heart no longer holds any useful secrets from you." Sighing, Natsu turned to face away from Layla, ignoring her outstretched hand…

"Why are you really here?"

Layla's smile disappeared and her hand fell back to her side. "Natsu, the Heartfilia women are destined to become one with space and time once we pass on. I am here as your escort. It was thought by the creators that you would prefer a familiar face."

"Hmpff…" Natsu exhaled as he fell to his knees. By this point the pain in his abdomen had spread to his chest, as if the fire from his belly had escaped and threatened to burn his lungs from the outside in. He clenched his side and heart. Layla sat cross-legged beside him; both looking out at the nothingness left in Natsu's heart.

"I've watched you and Lucy," Layla admitted in a whisper. Natsu didn't say anything in return and continued to stare at the blank emptiness ahead. She smiled slightly, and put her slender arm him. "I've watched your individual growth and your growth together." She pulled him close; his head came to rest on her slender shoulder. "Your friendship is amazing. Thank you for saving Lucy all those times. Thank you for being her friend. Her hero." Natsu looked up at Layla's face. Her face, her voice, so like Lucy's- the resemblance was still uncanny but the tears streaming from Layla's darkish brown eyes were different from Lucy's. They smelled of no salt, unlike Lucy's. This simple fact made Natsu slightly uncomfortable, awkward enough that he pushed himself away from Layla. The sudden action made Layla flinch slightly.

"Lucy's one of my best friends. I'd always protect her," whispered Natsu. "I know and the future was bright for both of you," whispered Layla as she let her unsalted tears continue to freely stream down her Lucyish face.

"What do you mean," Natsu's voice broke as he questioned the female beside him. He turned his gaze to meet her eyes. He noticed her eyes held compassion as she stared back at him. So much like Lucy! Her confidence could be seen and it made him shiver. Her tears continued, but the atmosphere around the pair started to change. The atmosphere was being to turn slightly knotty, as Natsu did not understand where this conversation was headed.

"Natsu, I know you love her," Layla smiled with a brightness through her tears. She bumped him with her shoulder as if to make the message sink in as deep as possible. It must have worked because these words hit Natsu straight in his heart, just like an arrow. His expression became squeamish, and he crawled away from the female beside him, as fast as his pained abdomen and chest would allow him.

On all fours, he turned to look behind him. His rear facing the lady behind him. "I have to go. I have to go…"

Suddenly, a representation of his and Happy's house appeared before him. Natsu looked in to front window of the house and saw a blue feline flying around in excited circles. "Happy!" Natsu turned to look back at Layla, "Lady I'm sorry but I really need to go home."

Taken aback, Layla got to her feet as Natsu hurriedly crawled to his front door. "Wait, Natsu…," she called after him but it was already too late. Natsu pushed the door open to his cottage with his head and crawled in.

"Natsu!" Layla pulled herself up from her sitting position and hurried to the cottage's open door. "Lucy is waiting for you. Happy too." Natsu growled and slammed the door shut. Pulling himself up into a sitting position, back against the door, "I can't let this get the best of me…"