Hi there! My first attempt at writing a Fairy Tail piece so I hope you like it! I would love to hear comments of the story! Any and all criticism is also welcome!
I watch a lot of different anime too so if you guys want to PM me to talk about Fairy Tail (Which is definitely one of my favourites!) or other anime then go for it. I would love to hear from you guys!
Disclaimer: I DON'T own fairy tail! Just the plot :D
A hot summer day in Magnolia was just as you would expect, birds chirping in the park and the riverside sparkling in the sun. Construction work was well under way after the destruction from the Tartaros encounter but progress was good – the town was almost back to normal. Everyone was so busy that no one noticed a girl sulking by the waterside, quite the opposite to the beautiful summer day.
The Fairy Tail guild hall was bustling with activity, right in the centre was a typical Gray and Natsu fight as they continued bashing their heads at each other.
"For the last time flame ass I didn't take your damn food!" Gray screamed at Natsu whilst unconsciously taking his clothes off.
"Yeah! Then where the hell did it go stripper!" Natsu yelled back.
"What?! WHERE THE HELL DID MY CLOTHES GO?! NATSU GIVE THEM BACK!" Gray frantically looked around but as always there was no sign of his clothes. Instead he chose to punch Natsu straight in the gut.
Natsu felt very uneasy – not just because of the recent blow but also because he felt worried. Or was it really just worry? Lucy had barely shown up at the guild hall anymore and refused to go on any jobs.
A memory from the battle lingered in his mind. When he regained consciousness, he found Lucy crying uncontrollably, a broken key in her hand. His felt as though his heart would stop, everything around him blurred in the background and all he could see was Lucy crying – the image was now burned in his memory. He trained all his life, mastering the art of Dragon Slayer magic but at that moment he felt utterly powerless.
Now he was quite confused, he wanted to train more but didn't want to leave Lucy behind. He was worried but still unsure of what he could do to even try to fix this. Naturally Natsu wasn't very good with thinking things through, preferring to charge straight through the problem and worry about the rest later. So now he did exactly that.
"I JUST DON'T GET IT!" Natsu screamed.
"FIRE DRAGON WING ATTACK!" For a frustrated Natsu this was almost expected – but the following blast also happened to knock down part of the newly re-built guild hall.
Gray was just about to retaliate when he looked to his right and froze. In fact, if Natsu had bothered to look around he would see all of the other guild members suddenly looked pale. However, Natsu being Natsu took this as a sign of defeat.
"Haha! Suits you just right ice princess! I'm definitely way…" But before Natsu could finish there was another loud explosion, Natsu was flung into the air and slammed straight into the wall – also breaking the wall in the process.
When he looked up, he saw blurry red - not from the blow to the head but from something far worse.
"WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING?!" A deafening voice boomed in what was left of the guild hall. Erza glared at Natsu – she was in fact the person who had rebuilt that particular part of the guild and was furious.
Now Natsu was the one looking pale. Gray went to stand next to Erza with a big smirk on his face.
"Serves you right hot head! Is there even a brain inside that thick skull of yours?" Gray was delighted at this turn of events – now if only he could find his clothes….
"This is your fault as well you know!" Erza punched the top of Gray's head. She had known Gray and Natsu since they were small children but no matter what she did they never could get along without a fight breaking out.
She looked at Natsu, he looked worried and she knew very well why. She had spoken to Lucy before and it was simply a matter of Lucy wanting some space. All the same, ever since Lucy joined the guild Natsu had been inseparable from her (along with Happy as well). I was no surprise that Natsu looked less like his cheery self.
Throughout this encounter Makarov was sitting at the bar – now his mouth hung open at his recently rebuilt guild hall being damaged again so soon – the irony was something else.
"Alright that's enough from all of you! Gray, Natsu and you as well Erza! The townspeople said they need help rebuilding the Cathedral so if you have this much energy go and help them!" Makarov shook his head; he had thought about disbanding the guild after all that happened but for now had chosen against it. As he looked at the damages, he thought that perhaps this was another sign…
"But master! I simply stopped Natsu before things got more out of hand!" Erza was surprised, until Makarov pointed to the broken wall where Natsu was still slumped.
"Then how do you explain that?" Makarov replied. "Just go and help the townspeople, we will handle things here." He turned back towards the bar and ordered another beer. I'll have to discuss this with Laxus when he returns..
Elsewhere, in the mountains outside Shirotsume. The afternoon sun was fading but from the other side of the mountain it may as well be night. The trees were covered with snow – on the mountaintops, even in the summer there will not be a shred of warmth to be found here.
The clouds covered the sun and the in the wind a faint whisper whistled through the trees.
A man with black hair stood, looking at the fading light above. A cynical smirk on his face.
"It is almost time."
Erza walked towards the construction site in the town, dragging Natsu and Gray with her by the ears.
"Why do I need to come?! It was Natsu's fault anyways!" Gray moaned. He always got himself into these messes.
"Because Master asked us to help the townspeople so that's what you are going to do!" Erza was honestly quite tired at this point – Gray and Natsu had tried to restart their fight 3 times already on the way alone! There was only one thing to be done.
"Ok Gray, go help the workers at the Cathedral! Natsu, you're coming with me to help rebuild some of the houses!" In truth, Erza knew the work at the houses was almost done – she had somewhere she wanted to be before sunset and if she told either Gray or Natsu she would have the whole guild as an audience.
Once they went their separate ways Natsu and Erza made quick work of the materials given, the reconstruction was a success. After saying goodbye to the townspeople, Erza just had to slip by Natsu unnoticed – which really would be an easy task considering how Natsu was still staring down at his feet, deep in thought. Erza actually felt more worried about Natsu who rarely ever seemed to be this focused on something. It was surely about Lucy but if she said it blatantly then Natsu would definitely reject the idea in denial.
"How about you stop by the waterside, the view is always nice at sunset" Erza pointed out, knowing Lucy would likely be there as well.
"I guess I can.." Natsu started off, still grumpy from having to do all that work after only half finishing his lunch which gray definetly took he though.
"Alright then, I'll see you tomorrow in the guild hall and you and Gray better not be arguing again." With a special emphasis on better. Erza walked away towards the gates to leave Magnolia – but as ever Natsu's attention was on something else entirely. He walked towards the riverside and sure enough, he knew Lucy was there. Or perhaps more accurately he could smell that she was there.
He walked closer to where she was sitting by the riverside, careful to keep his distance so he could go unnoticed. His hearing was extremely good and he could tell she was talking to Plue who was in her lap. Natsu still didn't understand what had happened very well, he knew she was upset and he knew that he felt a mixture of worry and something else I don't really understand he thought. Well she doesn't know I'm here yet… Maybe if I just listen in just a little, I'll know what I can do to help… Natsu was still a fair distance from Lucy and he decided that was (probably) the best thing to do.
"Plueee" Lucy sobbed. She had been here for who knows how long. When she closed her eyes all she could see was Aquarius…. her teary-eyed smile as she said goodbye one last time.
"You know when I was younger, I had a fever once and summoned Aquarius. She was angry that I summoned her from my fishing bowl but she still took care of me back then…" Lucy's voice was still just a whisper.
"I'm not sure if I was the celestial mage Aquarius hoped for… the golden keys are extremely powerful but I've never been strong enough…. I always have to depend on the strength of others."
Natsu sucked in his breath. His heart was pounding but at the same time he felt numb… he would do anything for a friend, but Lucy was always different. He really did feel like he would go to the ends of the earth just to see her smile – but why?
She's my best friend so I would do anything for her right? Why does this feel different somehow… To see her smile…. What is it I have to do? Damn it! I don't know anything about celestial keys! His hands turned into fists and he punched the wall next to him in frustration. Suddenly remembering Lucy was very close by he craned his neck to make sure she didn't notice.
Lucy was still lost in her own thoughts. Plue looked up at her with concern but unfortunately, he couldn't talk. Hugging her instead to give some sort of reassurance.
"I need to become stronger… I always rely on Natsu, Erza, Gray and my other celestial spirits for help…" Lucy thought about Natsu, how he always stood in front of her as a shield whenever there was any danger. Natsu had always been by her side and she couldn't imagine a world without him. Lucy always wanted to become stronger… but despite her efforts she still felt miles behind Natsu.
"Then let's make a deal. We will both continue get stronger together from now on." Natsu said in a soft voice, siting next to Lucy and putting an arm around her shoulder. Lucy looked at him in shock – Natsu always had a way to understand what she was feeling.
"You are incredibly strong in your own way you know" he continued in a soft voice.
"That's not true…" Lucy trailed off. Natsu meant the world to Lucy… her heart started to beat faster. Is he just saying that to make me feel better?
"I think strength means doing what needs to be done to help those who are important to you" Natsu looked straight in Lucy's eyes.
"What you did on that day proves you are very strong; you saved my life…. Heck you saved everyone in the whole guild!" Natsu kept looking at Lucy, in her dark brown eyes and wiped the tears off her face.
"Very few people have that kind of strength… and that makes you very special... Especially to me." Natsu's face now had a clear blush as he said that last line but he still kept his gaze straight at Lucy.
"Do you really mean that?" Lucy's reply was a whisper, Natsu's blush starting to become contagious. Her cheeks turned a beautiful rose pink.
"Yes, I do." Natsu said, hoping his words were reaching her.
"I promise I'll always be by your side. I know I'm not an expert at celestial magic but we will find the Aquarius key. No mater how long it takes." Natsu's heart was racing. There was a pause as the wind blew past Lucy's golden hair. Why isn't she saying anything? He thought.
"Thank you Natsu. You don't know how much that means to me." Lucy gave Natsu a bright smile and then hugged him tightly. Natsu tensed at the sudden change but then relaxed as he put his arms around her.
Lucy kept her tight grip. She knew that as long as Natsu was with her she could face anything. Looking at the sunset, she had a feeling this was the start of another exciting adventure.