WARNING: This one-shot is kind of sad...
There was a man standing at the water's edge.
Natsu, a pure young man in his best years, stood alone on the beach, gazing over the cobalt water with his guileless inky spheres. His salmon-colored hair rustled lightly in the ocean breeze. He smiled to himself with anticipation as he absent-mindedly adjusted his scarf. The sun glinted off of his russet shoulders and charcoal shorts that looked comfortable and easy to wear. His plush locks brushed against his earlobes, complementing his caring ochre visage. A noticeable sigil provided proof of his descent. He stood, awaiting his love.
It must have been fate in mortal form that brought them together. He knew from the moment he laid eyes on her that they were meant to be. From then on, they were inseparable. They shared every part of their life with each other. That was how it was to this very day.
Natsu's charcoal pools spotted Lucy further down on the beach, closer to the roaring sea. Her lovely hair rippled behind her in a aureate wave. Her spheres were turned toward the ocean, hidden from Natsu's sight, but he knew and loved their kind-natured auburn hue. She was dressed in her usual everyday clothes. She had a generously curvaceous pale, tinted with henna form. A symbol marked her skin. As Natsu drew nearer, he caught a note of her familiar perfume: sweet, rich vanilla. He smiled to himself. It always reminded him of the time they shared. "Lucy," he called, walking towards her.
She jumped a bit before turning around, smiling shyly. "Oh, Natsu! I-It's nice to see you."
"It's good to see you again," Natsu said, taking her hand. "Have I kept you waiting?"
"Not at all," she murmured. They began their leisurely walk along the ocean's edge.
To their surprise, Lucy was the first to speak. "I-I've never really... had anything like this." She clung a little tighter to Natsu's warm hand, resting her head against his soft, warm arm.
"Never?" he asked.
"Oh, never," she said breathlessly. "You are my first true love."
"I love you," he replied, landing a peck on her soft flaxen mane.
"I love you too."
They strolled together for a few moments, the beautiful clear azure sky decorated with only a few hints of loamy clouds. The sun struck her hair in a sunny halo about her face.
Natsu looked at her admiringly. "You're beautiful," he told her. She blushed.
"W-Why do you say that...?" she stuttered, still recovering from his compliment.
"Because it's the truth." Natsu placed his hand around Lucy, drawing her nearer. "Not only that," he continued. "You're talented as well. We couldn't have survived Edolas without you."
"I caused a lot of trouble for you," she mumbled. "You were really the one who did all those amazing things. And you're so strong..." Her eyes wandered over his face, his seraphic depths, his bubblegum locks. "... And handsome. I'm so lucky to have met you."
"It must have been destiny." He gave her an assuring squeeze. "But I never want you in that kind of danger again."
"As long as you're by my side," she whispered, letting Natsu draw her into an embrace, "nothing bad will happen to me."
"I swear it," he affirmed.
"Nothing..." she whispered, her hand seeking out his larger ones.
After a few moments, they found themselves walking down the beach again. It seemed to Natsu that something had been bothering Lucy for the last few hours - or maybe longer than that. Her sweet copper depths were cast down and away, focused upon nothing in particular.
It really hurt him inside to see her like that. He reached for her, tucked a stray golden strand behind her ear, and traced a finger across her jaw line. "What's wrong, Lucy?"
"Natsu... it's, just..."
Natsu cupped her face in his hands, brushing his lips against her forehead. "You can tell me."
She took a deep breath and gazed into his inky spheres with a look full of gentle sadness, whispering, "It's just... this isn't right, Natsu. I love you... truly, I do. But I shouldn't be with someone like this. It's, it's not what I was taught... - no. What I believe. I don't mean to hurt you. I know it hurts, Natsu. It hurts, Natsu, for me too. That's... that's why I won't leave you. But still, I feel such guilt..."
Natsu listened attentively, his eyebrows furrowing at each of Lucy's recounted sorrows. At last, when she finished, a moment of silence passed between them.
She looked so baleful and insecure. He brought her closer in reassurance, only wanting to hold her until the hurt subsided, murmuring, "Lucy... that's awful. It wish that weren't how it is. I wish I could say more. Lucy..." Lucy's eyes began to redden, and she abruptly pulled him into a fierce embrace. His globes widened at first, but then he too felt overwhelmed by emotion and succumbed to the warmth of her touch.
"You," Lucy whispered her breath hot on his ear. "As long as you're here, I'll be alright." They held each other as tears trickled down cheeks and dripped onto the shifting sands to be carried away into the sea. Their pain dissipated into a mist swept out by the ocean breeze and toward the setting sun, where dark clouds began to loom into sight.
They basked in each other's quiet companionship for a few moments.
"The sunset is so beautiful, isn't it?"
Natsu lifted his head at Lucy's words to behold the dying sun's French vermillion radiance. But even as he replied, "It's nice," the starless clouds looming on the horizon worried him. "Lucy, those clouds look bad. Let's go back."
Lucy looked at him with such shy windows to her soul and asked, "Just a few moments more? I want to savor today."
"Just a few more moments," he relented.
They were unprepared for how swift, how brutal the coming storm was. The rain poured in torrents, biding the ocean itself to rise. Winds whipped about them and kept them from moving on the shifting sands. Soaking, shivering, they fought against the storm.
"Natsu!" Lucy screamed against the wind. "Please, don't let go!"
"I won't!" Natsu shouted back, his hand clasping hers firmly as he struggled upward on the beach. "Trust me, Lucy!"
"I'm so sorry!" Lucy sobbed. "I never should've asked-"
Her next words were drowned out by the crash of water. A wave knocked against Natsu's side with incredible force, and in the moment he was stunned by the blow, he felt those soft fingers slip through his.
He came to his senses, and he found himself alone on the beach.
"Lucy!" he screamed. Without hesitation, he dove into the water. The waves tossed and rolled without mercy; he could hardly keep himself afloat. But the sight of that pale hand barely sticking from the water kept him moving forward.
For a sickening moment, those fingers slipped under the surface.
"NO!" Natsu bellowed before a mouthful of water choked his voice and brought him back to his senses. He dove under. The water was dark and it stung his eyes, but he could see Lucy, drifting downward like a falling flower petal in spring. With a flurry of energy, he shot forth and grasped her limp hand, then kicked furiously at the water, lungs almost bursting, until they came to the surface.
Sputtering and choking, Natsu caught his breath while struggling to keep Lucy above water. The cold and turbulent water was beginning to take its toll; he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep them alive.
Lucy sputtered and seemed to rouse. "Natsu ... ...?" she murmured hoarsely.
"Hold on, Lucy," Natsu gasped as he put forth all his energy into fighting the sea. "Hold on..."
(At the hospital)
"He had too much water in his lungs," the doctor told Lucy. "He pushed himself too hard on too little air. I'm sorry. He gave his life for you. He didn't make it."
Wracked with guilt and pain, Lucy buried her head in her hands and sobbed.
(Three Days Later)
"He was such an amazing person."
"No one ever approached his greatness."
"I can't imagine what the world would be like if he hadn't been there."
Lucy sat on a chair by the coffin, her hands around her knees, her depths dry, her soul too numbed to grieve. The funeral attendees nodded to her as they passed. She was sorry she couldn't find the words to express her appreciation.
The reception lasted hours, but it seemed to Lucy that it was only moments before the crowd disappeared. She picked himself off the chair and turned to look into the coffin for the first time since the funeral started.
Eyes closed and still, Natsu laid inside in a fine ebon suit, his hands clasped over his chest. He could have been in a very deep sleep. Lucy fought the urge to reach out and nudge him awake. Natsu was gone. Gone because of her. Because he loved her. Trembling, Lucy leaned in and laid a single kiss on his lips.
Really sad…
~Ava