Find 100 people and you'll find 100 forms of love. Okina. [Nobuhiro Watsuki, Rurouni Kenshin]

This is an updated version of the fic, resubmitted. Just edited for language. I had written the original at 2am in the morning and after going back to read it, I found that the flow was a little odd. Enjoy!

Shapes of Love

It all started with a memento. A single book.

Lucy had been spring-cleaning and whilst wiping behind a particularly dank corner hidden behind her wardrobe, a single cluttering noise had caught her attention. Reaching a hand behind the tiny corner, she had pulled forth a thin bound book, its covers layered over with a thin sheet of dust. Gingerly, careful not to tear any pages, the blonde flipped open the book only to gasp in surprise.

The yellowed pages revealed the journal that she had kept when she was 5, when her mother was alive, and her family had still been a happy one. Day by day, her words uncovered stories of happiness, mixed with stories of adventure – her father taking her to see the Magnolian lights, her mother introducing her Spirits to her. Even as a young girl, Lucy and Aquarius had not shared a particularly genial relationship. The memories of that made her laugh.

And then the sadder stories came. Her father drinking. Her father tearing books. Her father refusing to dine with her. With the loss of Layla, Lucy had lost both parents at once, and only years later, did she regain one. The thought brought a tear to her eye, and Lucy pondered over how her father's love had changed over the years.

Jude Heartfilia's love was like water in the ground, it ran deep and strong, but it also ran steady. When his wife had been robbed from him, it was as if a dam had broken its walls, bringing forth tumultuous waves and torrential swells that tore apart father and daughter. But as was with waves, the water eventually calmed, flowing into a new reservoir and filling its new home. Finding peace in its new state. Lucy wiped the tear from her eye, but her reminiscences had brought about a new question in her mind.

What were the shapes of loves in Fairy Tail?

"That's an easy one." Her intellectual friend, Levy McGarden replied.

"The shape of our love is our bond between nakama. Like the other day when Team Shadow Gear had gone on a mission, Jet and Droy argued about every. Trivial. Thing the entire way, but when Droy had genuinely been in danger, Jet had taken the blow for him. It hadn't been a severe one, but that's his way of loving his team mate. And…" she leaned forward conspiratorially. "Don't tell Jet but, whenever Droy takes too much food by accident, he always sneaks some into Jet's plate."

Lucy laughed at that thought, as she jotted down quick notes in her new journal. "And what about you, Levy – chan?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, what other kinds of love have you experienced?"

While she had not meant it that way, Lucy was not particularly surprised when the blunette's face instantly gushed pink.

"I don't! I mean… I still don't know… uhm… he…"

"He?" The blonde teased, poking her friend with her pen. "Who's this he?"

"No- no one! Mou, Lu – chan! I don't have anyone special like that!" With that, she took off running for the library, the only place she could completely escape reality.

Lucy was still giggling when Mirajane Strauss peeked her curious head into view. "I hear you were asking Levy something interesting, Lucy? What's this about love?"

"Just a little quest I'm on right now. I'm investigating the shapes of love in Fairy Tail."

"Shapes of love?"

"Yeah, like you know, the one Levy has with her team. Or the one you have with your siblings…"

The silver haired beauty's face brightened immediately. "Ah, like you mean when Elfman goes around declaring to everyone who would listen that it's only Man that a brother protects his sisters?"

"That's one." Lucy scribbled it down.

"And how about whenever Lisanna bakes something new, he would always be the first in line to sample it? Despite the fact that my little sister has not seemed to inherit any culinary genes whatsoever. Sometimes even I am afraid of her cooking." Mirajane laughed a tinkling sound.

"What else?"

"Ehm… I can't think of anything good at this moment. How about you come find me again later?"

"Sure thing." The blonde wandered off, leaving the Takeover mage contemplating in peace.

It turned out that it was far from a difficult quest for everywhere she looked, Lucy Heartfilia found a new shape of love. The love for dancing, for drinking, for partying, for smashing things. That last part made her laugh again, only to yelp and duck when she found herself in the trajectory of a flying chair.

But it was more than that.

It was the Raijinshuu tribe arguing with each other, about who would be the next one to accompany Laxus on another S – class quest.

It was Reedus, sitting in his corner as usual, with his easel and palettes out, as he painted a landscape of the guild.

It was Wendy, who came by her table, asking in that innocent voice of hers if Lucy wanted any help. It was Charle, who sat at the next table, poring over a magic book in order to pick up some tricks in defensive spells in order to better protect her partner.

Somewhere along the way of her going around and talking to people, Lucy had started sharing her own shapes of love towards her friends, receiving ones in kind as hugs and kisses… and raw fish (Sakana!). In retrospect, it had probably started with the ever adorable Asuka, whom Lucy had relented and hugged when the little girl had beamed up at her and told her that all of her little heart loved Lucy too.

As the hour passed, the blonde found her journal becoming fuller and fuller, now that some people had also insisted on scribbling their own little anecdotes and wishes within the pages. Mirajane had come by again, taking Lucy by the hand and leading her to a quiet alcove in the great hall. There, away from most prying eyes, the pair spotted Cana Alberona sitting at the only table. The brunette was hunched over the table, scribbling something fiercely on what appeared to be a card.

At Lucy's curious glance, her companion had simply gestured to a small box sitting in the middle of the table, above which danced a mini hologram of one of the most powerful wizards in Fairy Tail – Gildarts Clive.

Lucy wrote down four simple words on a clean page. Cana: a father's love.

Erza Scarlet came by afterwards, having just returned from a quest and now indulging in her love for strawberry cream cake. The Requip mage had an amazing story to tell: along the way home, she had chanced upon a woman wailing in the street as she had clutched her belly in pain. Picking up the inconsolable female, Erza had taken her straight to the hospital, where the redhaired mage had witnessed one of nature's miracles – childbirth.

Granted, the experience had left Erza a little green but still she smiled at Lucy, stating that given the chance, she would have opted to help the stranger all the same. Feeling a little playful at one of Erza's rare sights of vulnerability, Lucy poked the redhead a little further.

"And what about you and Jellal, Erza? I bet that there are great shapes of love to tell there too."

As per clockwork, Titania's face flushed the colour of her hair as she immediately sputtered. "Wha- Jellal and I…"

What had surprised Lucy the most however, was how quickly Erza's embarrassment faded, and in its place rose a quiet confidence. Smiling warmly at the blonde, the redhead laid a hand on Lucy's shoulders.

"Jellal and I both have our own paths to walk, we can't be selfish about this. But in the future, if anything changes again… then who knows? One thing is for sure though… I'll never find another man like him in my life. I know that in my heart."

At that, a gentle, almost mellow smile touched Erza's lips, and Lucy could not resist flinging her arms around her friend.

"Erza!"

"There there, don't cry. In the meantime, I don't feel lonely, for I have you guys-"

"Ouch!"

"To love." Erza smiled and patted Lucy's back from where she had smashed the Celestial Spirit mage's flush against her chest… and her armor. From her painful hug, Lucy managed to scrawl out a few words next to Erza's name – a beautiful, unselfish love, yet painful at the same time.

A commotion to her left caught her attention, and Lucy's pulled out of the chokeh- ahem, hug, to find Juvia shrieking again as the water mage flung her hands over her eyes, yelling "Juvia hazukashiii!"

Sure enough, Gray was there, running around and peeking underneath tables to look for his coat… and shirt… and pants… and ohmigosh! Lucy brought the book up to her face and gave a little "EEP!" of her own. Curiosity took her though, and the blonde soon peeked her eyes around a side. As was expected, the water mage had melted into a semi-puddle on the floor.

Juvia: an innocent, naïve love.

Gray: a love… for stripping. Lucy relented later and added "and his guild" afterwards.

"Yo, bunny-girl! I heard that you're going around collecting confessions?"

"I am not doing that, Gajeel. Well, not exactly that." Lucy's lips quirked up as she scuttled over to him.

"Do you have any love stories you'd like to share?"

"Eh… not really." The steel dragon slayer scratched his mane nonchalantly. "Don't really care for things like that."

"Aww c'mon! I'm sure you have something? For example… with Levy? You do spend a whole lot of time with her as compared to everyone else." Lucy's eyes twinkled devilishly as she waited for his response.

He looked almost surprised. "Midget? Uh… I had dinner with her by the pier the other day. Does that count?"

"You what?!" Lucy frantically scribbled new notes in her book. The pier was after all, a popular date haunt.

Gajeel and Levy: ROMANTIC LOVE?!

"Yeah," the steel dragon slayer continued. "The midget was teaching Lily and I how to properly catch lobsters with these new rods we bought. Afterwards, Salamander came by with his cat and we had a picnic of roasted lobsters by the beach."

"Oh." Damn it. She just hated to erase those rather juicy two words… but. Oh well, not like anyone else would see them. Lucy gleefully drew a little heart between her friends' names anyway.

"Speaking of Salamander, I was looking for him. Have you seen him? He owes me money."

"Natsu? No I haven't seen him all day." Weird. On any other day Natsu Dragneel would have been one of the first people she saw in the guild. Her quest today had captured so much of her attention that she had failed to look for him.

That thought of having forgotten him of all people left pangs of guilt in her gut, but they were quickly stamped out. After all, he hadn't come looking for her either. It seemed to be one of his daily routines, to look for Lucy and annoy her. Well sometimes. Other times, they had so much fun together, the hours would fly by without anyone noticing.

"If you're looking for Natsu, he left with Happy about two hours ago."

"He was here then?" Lucy replied, surprised. That little tidbit of information left her a little pissed, and a little sad. He had left without saying hi!

"Yeah, for some reason," Mirajane continued. "He looked really annoyed. Stomping his way out of the guild and even slamming the door behind him."

"Oh. I wonder what got him so mad?" Lucy remarked, as worry starting seeping in. Perhaps it was time for a change in her mission. She had after all, collected more than enough entries in her new journal of love stories. Besides, it was getting late, for the sun was already cresting the roofs of the houses in its slow descent.

Natsu was waiting for her in his room when she got home, and the sight of him sitting on her bed as he played with his scarf nearly made her drop her book. Sliding her sandals off and dropping her satchel onto her desk, Lucy narrowed her eyes at him.

"I thought that you had gone home."

"Happy did. He was so tired with all the excitement that was going on at the guild today that he crashed the moment he got home."

It was clear when Natsu refused to meet her gaze and when he replied his tone surprised her. That was indeed odd, for the perpetually energetic male rarely got upset. Angry, yes, but this was rare.

"Why are you so sullen?"

"I'm not sullen." He folded his arms, his mouth in a pout that that blonde could not help but find adorable. Almost.

"Did someone steal your food again?"

"Not that... though I… saw you going around the guild today, telling people you loved them."

"Yeah." Lucy sat down on the bed next to him as she recounted her memories for the day.

"It was just a little quest I wanted to work on, investigating the shapes of love amongst our friends. Like Asuka – chan's love for her parents, Mira's for her siblings, Erza's fascination with cakes, Master's love for us and so many more. It really was a great day." The blonde clapped her hands together and smiled delightfully.

"Then… … …"

"Hmm? Sorry, I couldn't fully hear you."

The pinkette narrowed his gaze as he bore holes into her bed. "Then… why didn't you tell me that you loved me too?"

"Huh? I-"

Natsu was still grumbling as he tugged at her comforter with his hands, wearing the cloth between his fingers. The male's cheeks had taken on a distinct light shade, or was that just from the light playing tricks on her mind? Lucy blinked.

"I'm your best friend right, not Levy… should… have been first… I'm the one who brought you to Fairy Tail… quests… who… you the most… isn't fair… last…"

"Natsu, you're getting softer and softer." Lucy sighed. Turning, she plopped both hands on the male's shoulders and squeezed gently, coaxing him to turn around.

"Anoneh… You do know that I love you, right? Just because I didn't talk to you today doesn't mean that I don't. I'm sorry that I got too caught up in everything that was going on."

"Grumble grumble grumble… well then..." The pinkette suddenly turned to face her, his eyes wide and unblinking. His steadfast stare, while not an uncommon sight, unnerved her slightly. "How do you love me?"

"Huh? This is… Natsu-"

His grip on her wrists was unrelenting. "I heard you tell everyone else how exactly you loved them, even ice for brains and metal guzzler. What about me?"

Lucy pondered the moment away, thinking of the best way she could synthesize her love for the fire dragon slayer in its purest essence. Of all the confessions she could have made today, this was certainly the hardest, for Natsu meant so much more to her than anyone else did. He was her partner, her best friend, her rock, the one she cared for and wanted to be cared for by the most. That thought brought a flush to her cheeks, for it sounded too much like an actual confession. Her? And Natsu Dragneel? Surely not! But… sometimes she did wonder.

She laughed awkwardly, and turned the question again in her head once more. Since there really was no way that she could objectify her love for him, Lucy decided to answer his question in the simplest way she could think of.

"I love you like nobody else can." With that single sentence, the blonde knew that she had captured everything that she wanted to say to him. It was all encompassing, but more importantly, it was sincere.

"Does that satisfy you, Natsu? Na-Natsu…?"

Lucy peered curiously at her companion, trying to read his expression but failing. His gaze had dropped, and a shadow had fallen over his eyes as his thick pink locks drooped askew over his forehead.

"I'm not Erza, I can't be unselfish..."

She laughed and lifted a hand to lay against his cheek. "What are you saying? Of course you're not Erza."

"I love you too, Lucy."

"I know that." Even though she had already known, his reply still made her heart sing. Funny how it only did so for him.

"In all the ways you've listed… and one more."

Before the blonde could react, the dragon slayer raised his head, reaching his face up towards her. There was a soft whisper against her skin when he lightly pressed his lips against her own. Lucy's eyes widened even as she marveled in how gentle his touch was. His lips were slightly chapped, and their mild roughness massaged her own lips once, twice... Her head was spinning now, and to steady herself, she tightened her grip on shoulders.

When their lips finally separated, hours seemed to have passed, even though logic told her that the kiss had lasted but mere seconds. Natsu's gaze had steadied itself, as he watched her with a quiet power that turned shivers inside her belly.

"I love you."

Well, this is probably the shortest fic I have ever written. Honestly, I've been meaning to use this theme for a while now, since I really liked that line from the Rurouni Kenshin manga. However, I never was able to find good inspiration. I wonder where it had come from last night?

I hope you guys can share with me what you think of short fics like that? I tend to drag out my stories a bit much, so it takes me a while to complete one. I'm thinking of doing more oneshots, or 2-3 chapter fics as it would mean that I can submit fics faster. Or course, this would mean reducing the content and details in the fic so I am a little conflicted.

Thanks for supporting!

Sammie.