She sat at the table, silent, staring down to the floor.
She held one of her gate keys in her hand.
The memories flashed through her mind.
She clutched onto it tighter.
She stared up at her friends. Natsu and Gray were brawling like usual, probably over something trivial, Juvia was standing behind them, cheering on her "love" like usual, and Levy sat at a table, her nose in a book, also like usual.
It seemed like everything was finally back to normal...
...For everyone else, at least.
She couldn't stop thinking about it.
"I'm...Too weak..."
The memories kept playing through her head.
When she was caught in Juvia's Water Log, unable to escape, when she was captured by Phantom Lord, and couldn't escape no matter what she tried. When she was being used by the Neo Oracion Seis to collect the Infinity Clock, and when they tried to use her life-force to power it.
"I'm too weak..."
She sighed as she put the key back in her purse, stood up, and walked straight out of the Guild Hall.
Natsu stopped immediately, watching her walk out of the Guild Hall.
SMACK!
"Hey, Gray, would you cut that out?" Natsu yelled angrily.
"Why'd you stop? Am I too good for ya?" Gray asked with a smirk.
"No." Natsu said, his voice softening.
He slowly started to make his way out of the Guild Hall as well.
"Hm? Natsu! Wait up!" His blue cat companion yelled as he flew after him.
Tears steadily fell on her keys, almost like rain.
She couldn't hold them back anymore.
"Perhaps..." She grabbed one of her keys. "...No...I wouldn't want to trouble Loke with this...He would feel the same hurt I feel if I told him..." She set the key back down.
She heard a knock at the door.
"It's probably Natsu here to eat all my food..."
"HEY LUCY! YOU HOME?" She heard a voice call loudly.
She didn't respond.
"...Then again, if he WAS going to do that, he wouldn't be knocking...He'd probably barge right in..."
"Luuuucyyyyy!" She heard a high-pitched voice say from outside.
"Happy's here, too?" She thought.
"Come on in!" She yelled, trying to hide the sadness in her voice.
Natsu and Happy walked in as Lucy shoved her face in her pillow.
"Hi, Lucy." Natsu said with an increasingly soft tone.
"Hi..." She said, her face still stuffed in the pillow.
"Is everything okay?" Natsu asked as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Yeah...Just...Tired..." Lucy said while sniffling.
"You sure?" Natsu asked quietly.
"Yeah." She answered, her voice still muffled by the pillow.
"..."
They both sat there in silence for a few minutes.
Lucy finally spoke up, lifting her head from the pillow.
She looked him in the eyes.
"Natsu..?"
"Yes?"
"Do you think...That I'm weak?"
Tears slowly fell from her eyes.
"No way, Lucy." Natsu said as he hugged her.
Lucy slightly blushed.
"While your physical and magical strength isn't much compared to that of Me, Erza, or Laxus...I think you're very strong emotionally." He answered.
He then let go.
"They're in loooooove." Happy said in his mind.
"Why do you say that?" Lucy said, a small smile starting to appear on her face.
"Because, Lucy. I know you've been through a lot of pain. You really have been through a lot, with everything that's happened with your dad, all the battles you've faced with us, and any time you might have worried...But still, through it all, you still try to smile."
Natsu gave a thumbs-up and a re-assuring smile.
"That optimism...That positive outlook on life...It keeps me going, helps me to keep fighting...And probably the same with the rest of Fairy Tail's members too!" Natsu grinned.
"Natsu..." A smile crossed her face as tears fell from her eyes.
"...Thank you...I'm glad you see it that way..."
"Sure thing!" Natsu said, his grin widening.
"So, you wanna head out to dinner? I found a buffet downtown, but I never got to go!"
"Um...Sure...But why didn't you?"
"Because...It wouldn't be the same without you!" Natsu said, with the widest smile Lucy had ever seen.
He reached his hand out, and Lucy grabbed it.
"LET'S GO!" They both shouted happily.
Happy slowly followed.
"Yep. They are totally in loooooove."