For Her

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

It's been a year since the Earthland wizards have gone back to their world. Edolas was once more thriving despite the lack of magic. The reign of the new King has brought peace throughout the land. It was hard at first for magic was part of their daily lives but they had come to realize the error of their old ways and that life was more important than magical powers.

The Fairy Tail guild is now recognized as the number one all-around guild in Edolas doing various jobs from repairing to solving crimes in the kingdom. It is a known fact that King Jellal favors this guild and is good friends with its members.

One day, a certain pink-haired man, was seen on the streets walking down the main street of the Royal City, whistling happily as he passed by the shops. He walked into a jewelry/ secret weapon shop owned by the number one black smith in Edolas, Gildarts, and his wife Cornelia.

Gildarts was busy drawing weapons designs on paper when he heard the bell ring. He looked up and saw his daughter's guild mate come in. "Ah, Natsu. Come to get your order? How is everyone in the guild?"

Natsu grinned at him. "The guild is doing fine. Why don't you come back to the guild, Gildarts-san? We haven't had a guild master since Master Makarov was killed."

Gildarts smiled reminiscing the days when he was still an active member of Fairy Tail. "I'm old now Natsu and retired. It's time for one of you, younglings, to step up for the job." He laughed when he saw Natsu's dejected look before standing up from his seat. "I'll go get your order. Wait here." Gildarts disappeared to a small room. He returned two minutes after and handed a small package to Natsu.

"Thanks, Gildarts-san. I can't wait to see her face," Natsu said excitedly as he peeked inside the package.

"It looks like little Natsu is finally growing up. Who would have thought that?" He smirked at Natsu whose cheeks turned pink. "You're quite a masochist, Natsu. Of all the girls in the kingdom, you just had to choose her. You better hurry up and go back to the guild or you might get punished," he warned. Gildarts chuckled in amusement as Natsu paled and looked at him with a terrified face.

Natsu hurriedly thanked him again and exited the store as if he was being chased by demons.

"Oh yeah, tell Lucy Happy Birthday for me" called Gildarts.

~NATSUXLUCY~

Meanwhile, members of the guild were busy preparing for Lucy Ashley's 18th birthday party especially since King Jellal and Captain Knightwalker, who the king appointed as his personal bodyguard for the evening, would also be attending.

"I don't know why I have to help that asshole," spat Levy as she worked on the wires for lights.

"Because she is our Nakama," replied Wendy. She had just finished cutting golden stars and then held it up, pleased with her creation.

"She better be grateful," Levy said.

Mira looked around the hall and was pleased with their progress. "Good work guys! I'm going to check on the birthday girl." She then proceeded to skip to the room on the second floor. She opened the door and giggled at Lucy, who looked very annoyed.

"Stop moving, Lucy. You're ruining you're make up," scolded Cana as she placed blush-on on the blonde's face.

"Tch. Why the hell should I put make-up on? It's annoying and itchy." Lucy scowled at her own reflection in the mirror.

"Because it's your 18th birthday and you should look your best," Mira explained gently.

Lucy pouted. "But it's annoying and where the hell is Natsu?"

Mira smirked at the blonde. "Missing him already? Don't worry. He said he'll be back soon."

"Who said I was worried about him," Lucy protested, crossing her arms as she tried her best to look indignant.

"Whatever you say, Lucy," replied Mira, who look smug and was sporting on an I-don't-believe-you look on her face.

"Alright, we're done," announced Cana, smiling proudly at her work.

Lucy looked at herself in the mirror and can't help to think that Cana had outdone herself. She knew she wasn't as girly as her Earthland counterpart. She wondered what Natsu would think of her when she sees him tonight. He was a wimp and an idiot so how the hell did she fall in love with him.

~NATSUXLUCY~

Natsu was on his way home when he was stopped by group of thugs, looking at him with evil intent in their eyes. Natsu tried to avoid them but he was blocked by a burly guy, who was foot taller than him. He gulped in fear. He was never good with fighting. If only, he could still drive his vehicle, he would be able to get away in no time.

The leader of the gang went closer to him and grinned maniacally. "Well, well, look at what we have here, if it isn't the cowardly wimp of the fairies." He laughed together with his henchmen.

"It's nice chatting with you guys but I have to go." Natsu tried to run but the guy who stopped him earlier caught him by the collar.

"Where do you think you're going, Fireball?" the leader asked mockingly. He smirked as he caught Natsu trying to hide a package inside his shirt. "What are you trying to hide there?"

"I-It's nothing. Will you please let me go leader-san," pleaded Natsu.

"Alright, I'll let you pass but only if you'll give me that package."

"I-I-I'm sorry b-but this is for my friend's birthday."

"That's too bad then." The leader signaled to his goons and they started to punch and kicked Natsu. "I'm still going to take it, anyway."

Natsu refused to give in to them. He worked hard so that he could give the customized necklace for Lucy and he would rather go to hell than give it to them. He'll endure humiliation and eternal pain if he could see her smile. He was sure that he'll be covered with bruises. It seemed to go on forever until it suddenly stopped. He looked up and saw that a man in a white cloak standing over him. "P-please d-don't h-hurt me."

The man in the cloak chuckled. "You really are different from the Natsu that I grew up with." He took off his hood, revealing his blue hair.

"King Jellal," exclaimed Natsu, staring at him in awe. "What are you doing here?"

Jellal smiled at his friend and then helped him up. "I need a rest from being a ruler of a kingdom. I told them not to bother me for the entire afternoon." He glanced around before putting his hood back on. I have managed to escape from Erza," he whispered. "You really should learn how to defend yourself."

"I know. I'm a coward. I wish I can still drive around in my car," Natsu said dejectedly.

Jellal sighed but knew he can't do anything about it. Natsu would have to decide by himself that he wasn't to change. He still can't believe that this was the counterpart of Natsu Dragneel, a reckless guy who loves fighting those who are stronger than him. But he remembered that though they are different, he knew that despite the cowardly outer persona, he was deep within quite alike his counterpart in Earthland. "So what did those guys want from you?"

Natsu took out the package from his shirt and handed it to Jellal. "I had Gildarts make it."

"Who would have thought you had it in you, Natsu?" Jellal smirked as he handed the package back to Natsu. "I'm sure Lucy would like this though."

Jellal's mind wandered back to a certain stubborn red-haired captain. He would have thought she'd be able to catch up with him by now. A mischievous smile lit up at the young king's face as he thought about Captain Knightwalker tied up in his bed. She was shouting profanities at him as he jumped out of the window of his room. He was not disappointed though for right at that moment, he heard someone running towards them. He looked back and saw his demonic captain running towards them, a cloud of dust flying behind her.

Erza stopped two feet away from them. She was looking at Jellal as if she was about to murder him. "Y-you… y-you…" started Erza. She was so angry at Jellal, who was leaning against a wall, looking all smug as he surveyed her.

"You're late, Captain Knightwalker," he drawled.

"That's because you…" she began but then she saw Natsu and immediately stopped. She was scowling at the King yet her cheeks were tinted red.

"I did what, Captain?" he asked teasing her, knowing full she can't say anything without embarrassing herself as well. "Let's go, Natsu, Erza..." He then walked on ahead chuckling at the expense of his prized captain.

Natsu just looked at them in confusion. 'What the hell is going on?' he thought as he followed the king to their guild. Jellal as Mystogan and Erza has officially joined their guild about six months ago.

~NATSUXLUCY~

Lucy was looking anxiously at the guild's main door. 'Where is he? He better be here soon.' Just then the door opened to reveal Natsu, Jellal and Erza. She ran towards Natsu and hugged him. "Natsu, where have you been? You idiot, I was worried about you."

Natsu winced as she hugged him. He should go to Wendy and have her look at him soon. "I'm fine, Lucy. Don't hurt me." He then hid behind Erza, who raised an eyebrow at him.

Lucy was about to do a torture technique when Jellal stopped her. "Don't. Natsu was beaten up by thugs a few minutes ago."

"Idiot, you should have brought someone else with you," said Lucy, who was trying not to look worried. She then pulled Natsu, who murmured "Help" and dragged him to the infirmary. She called out to Wendy, who promptly followed them. After cleaning and bandaging his wounds, Wendy went out of the room and left them alone.

"Hey, L-luce, you o-okay?" he asked, worrying after his partner, who had remained silent since they went in the infirmary room. Unconsciously, he raised his right arm and placed it on her chin, gently tugging it up so that she would look at him. He was surprised to see her crying. "What's wrong?"

"You reckless idiot, what if you died?"

"Don't cry. I'm here aren't I?" he whispered gently to her while pulling her closer to him. He was amazed since he rarely saw Lucy cry. He felt somehow smug that he was the only one to see the vulnerable side of her. "You don't want to look like a monster on your 18th birthday, don't you?" he teased.

She hit him on the head and muttered, "Idiot" before standing up in a huff.

He winced. Lucy doesn't know her own strength but it didn't matter since he rewarded by a glimpse of a smile, which she tried to hide from him. The things he would do for her.

~NATSUXLUCY~

The party had been a blast and as always it has been chaotic. Brawls are commonplace after all in this infamous guild.

It was Natsu's turn to have a dance with her. She was surprised that he knew how to dance at all. At first he was quite nervous, but slowly gained confidence as he danced with her. They slowly revolved around the floor, their eyes transfixed to one another as if in a trance, the rest of the world didn't matter. She was painfully aware of how close they are. She blushed as Natsu pulled her closer to him.

After the party, Natsu told her. He'll walk her home. They walked silently until Natsu suddenly stopped beneath a Sakura tree in the city square.

"Natsu?"

"I haven't given you, my present yet." He smiled at her shyly before he handed her a box wrapped in blue wrapper and gold ribbon. "H-here" He watched her anxiously as she opened the gift.

Lucy gasped as she saw the golden necklace in the form of a comet. The necklace was made up of a round ruby with an orange fire symbol at the center. "It's beautiful, Natsu," she exclaimed in utter happiness. "Thank you, Natsu" she whispered as she hugged him.

He grinned at her when she let go of him. "I'm glad that you like it, Luce. You told me once about how shooting stars can fulfill wishes, so I decided I'll get one for you."

Lucy blushed. She tried to calm her beating heart. This was one of the times that the idiot would suddenly say sweet and romantic things, which was so unlike him. "C'mon it's getting late."

When they reached her apartment, he was about to say goodbye when she cut him off. "Can you stay with me tonight?" she asked shyly, blushing.

"Sure."

~NATSUXLUCY~

He had stayed over in her place countless of times before. But it was rare for Lucy to actually invite him. He walked towards the cabinet where he kept some of his spare clothes then turned to Lucy. "Luce, I'm going to take a quick shower." He then noticed that Lucy was writing on something. "What's that?"

She then hid it from him. "Shut up and take a bath," she angrily ordered him.

"Y-y-es, Sir… err… Ma'am," he stuttered. He then quickly went inside the bathroom and shut the door, afraid of Lucy's wrath.

He made sure to take his time in the shower. He didn't want to face an angry Lucy. It was relief to him to find her sleeping peacefully in her bed when he gathered the courage to come out of the bathroom. He moved closer to her and brushed a strand of her hair before kissing her forehead while murmuring a good night to her sleeping form.

He adjusted the couch so that it would turn into a mattress and lay down. He found himself staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. He turned to the direction of Lucy's writing table and saw that one of the drawers was not shut properly. He got up and pushed the drawer but it won't budge. He opened the drawer and immediately recognized the book that Lucy was writing on earlier. Curious, he opened it and read the first page. "Lucy's Diary… For Lucy's eyes only…"

He knew he shouldn't pry on her privacy but his curiosity was just too overwhelming. He flipped on to the first entry. He smiled as he read on. It was a detailed account of their first encounter with each other and how he defeated the fake Fireball in a race. He read everything greedily. He read on how she worried about him. He laughed as she alternately wrote complaints and praises about him. "Luce, you weirdo…" He was reading for a while when he suddenly slammed the book shut. Hurt evident in his face. He looked at her sleeping face for one last time before exiting her room. He wanted to be alone for a while.

AN: More to come in the next chapter ;) Hoped you liked it. Till next time :D

When they were alone, Natsu looked at Jellal and asked, "Can I ask a favor from you, your majesty?"

Jellal studied Natsu. He never saw him so serious and determined. It reminded him of the other Natsu during one of his battles.