My first One-shot story from start to finish. I hope you enjoy!
Love was painful. Lucy knew that, even though she had never truly experienced it. She remembered her mother telling her the tales. Her hands ran through her daughter's hair as she pursed her lips together. She wished for her daughter to find her true love and be happy. However it wasn't something you could simply gain, it took a lot to truly find that special someone. To have trust in that person and to give your life for them.
"NATSU!"
Her voice screamed, her heart caving in as she rushed off her feet ignoring her broken ankle. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she lunged for the fallen mage. She didn't think twice, she fell onto his chest clutching his hand in hers. He struggled, bruised and battered under her will. With an eye open, he attempted to grin at her, his lips curving into a smile. She said nothing, barely looking at his wounds. It hurt her. It hurt him.
"You're so stupid" she whispered, shaking her head at him. "I told you, not to come" she sobbed low into his chest, ignoring the blood that was now stained on her white dress. She didn't care about that. No. She only cared about the one below her, who was now choking on his own tongue. He couldn't help it. He had been brutally attacked and left for dead.
"I…know" he squinted at her, using all his strength to squeeze her hand back in return. "Don't…worry…about me Luce. Get…your…self out" he advised her, wincing every word. Her tears stormed down as she shook her head forcefully.
"No! I refuse to leave you!" her voice was wobbled, her hands trembled and her body stood its ground. "I won't! We're a team, remember? I'm not leaving you here…" she cried, looking as he smiles. Slowly, he holds his other arm up, running his hand through her blonde silky hair, moving it down to her ear, twiddling with her diamond earrings.
"You…look…beautiful" he admitted. She sniffled once more, looking at her attire. Her white wedding dress. "I'm…glad…I got to…see you…in it" he managed to gasp some air before letting out a very low sigh.
"Natsu…please" she begged. "Don't do this to me!"
"Sorry…Luce" his open eye suddenly falls, his hands beginning to drop from the weakness. He tries to smile as she laid his hand peacefully on his chest. She weeps into him, her whole body freezing. There was no longer warmth in his body. His fire was extinguished and there was no longer life inside the pink-haired mage. Lucy trembled over him, her body fumed as she slammed her fist to the side of her, creating the ground to crack beneath her.
"NO!" she screamed. "You're not dead! You're Natsu from Fairy-Tail, the great fire king! The salamander! YOU CAN'T DIE!" she screeched from the top of her lungs, as the tears continued to flow. "Please, don't leave me Natsu!"
Moments passed and Lucy weakly draped over his body. She begged for her life to be taken instead of his, anything that would bring him back. But there was nothing. She had lost him. Natsu Dragneel from Fairy-Tail.
The building by now was caving in around her. Lucy assumed this was because of her guild mates who were taking out their anger. She believed that they had taken care of her abductor, because he was no longer around.
"Lucy! We have to get out of here" Loki appeared beside her, his eyes ached when he saw her crouched over the lifeless body. He mumbled low, waiting for her to take hold of him.
"I can't leave him Loki…"
"You have too, otherwise you will die too!"
"So be it!" she screamed. "I don't want to leave him" she latched to him, as Loki attempted to peel her off.
"Lucy if you don't come with me now, we'll both die! You have to live…for him" he pulled at her hand, as she slowly lifted herself up. "Come on"
Tears dropped, as she slowly placed a soft kiss on his lips before undressing her wedding finger. A gold ring, with a single diamond that matched her earrings was left on his chest. She stood up bravely, allowing Loki to force her away. She whispered three words that day as she ran off, with the building collapsing behind her.
"I love you"
To Be Continued…
XXX
3 Years Later
The guild was quiet. It had been since that tragic day. Everyone was restless, keeping their business to themselves. It was only when Lucy entered that everything piped up. Everyone tried to keep the guild exactly how it was…for her sake. Gray was perched on the table beside Wendy, he crunched his knuckles, daring at Gajeel who immediately picked up the tension and roamed over.
"Got something to say Ice Brain?" the iron slayer dragon snarled as he approached the wizard. "Say it to my face" he dared him, crashing his forehead to his opponent. Lucy walked in further, her eyes scanned the room with hope but then she came back to reality. Her bottom lip wobbled softly as she peeked over at the ice wizard and iron dragon slayer.
That should be him. She thought briskly. She made no attempt to greet everyone, but slouched into her seat beside the sky dragon slayer and the two exceeds. Happy instantly clutched to her like a child to a mother, hugging her warmly only to receive a scowl from Mira.
"Hello Lucy, nice today isn't it?" Wendy perked up brightly. The blonde gently stroked the blue cat, shuffling her eyes to the young blue-haired mage. She frowned.
"I guess"
"Me and Carla we're thinking about taking a job…we thought you might want to join us?" the young girl suggested sweetly. She pulled out her flyer and pushed it towards her. "It's easy, all we have to do is-"
"No thanks Wendy" Lucy stopped her, pushing back with sadness. "I don't want any jobs"
Lucy hadn't taken a job since that day, she was evicted from her apartment the moment her first rent was overdue. Instead she decided to take all of her belongings to the small cottage in the woods, it had hurt her when she walked up catching the sign 'Natsu and Happy's House'. She kept it up, wanting to remember everything about him. The cottage today was still intact, exactly how Natsu had left it. Happy continued to stay there with her. The two reminisced in peace, together.
"YOU ICICLE!" Gajeel shouted as he pummeled Gray into the ground. But he pulled himself back up, freezing the side of his arm to stop him using his iron slayer magic. Gray pounced up, knocking him back and grinning evilly. "Why you little shit!" he continued, tensing his arm to free himself from the ice. It shattered and the iron slayer charged back at him, the two enduring their fight over and over till suddenly, Gray slipped up.
"BRING IT PRYO" he froze the moment he said it, causing everyone to flinch. It was a habit that Gray never seemed to get rid of. By now all eyes flickered to Lucy, who remained still in her seat. She had paused stroking the cat in her arms, simply for a moment before gaining her posture and letting out a heavy sigh. It blew over once Gajeel knocked him down, creating a rebound noise. Everyone after that carried on, their loud voices blocking Lucy's deep thoughts. She tried to smile weakly, but that never happened.
"You could always tag along to my jobs Lucy" Erza piped up, throwing her arm to the table. This startled the girls. "I can get you a ton of money" Lucy looked away at this.
"I don't want money" she growled. Erza was taken back by this as she takes a seat down next to her.
"I'm worried for you Lucy" the redhead admitted as she leaned closer. "And as a member of the guild and a close friend, I want to help you"
"I don't need your help" Lucy mumbled. "I'm fine" this resulted in many glares from Happy, Wendy and Erza. "I'll get over it…eventually"
"I know it's hard" Erza started, poising herself. But this was cut short as Lucy instantly rises from her seat. Her eyes forced shut as she placed Happy to the table in front of her, allowing her hands to cup into fists.
"I said I don't need your help!" she growled. "Just leave me alone! All of you" she begins to weep, causing Erza who tear up. Her friend was really damaged. A broken heart. It didn't take much for the blonde to storm out of the guild in silence, leaving everyone to hush low.
"Well done Erza" Gray groaned sarcastically. "Now we won't see her for about 2 months"
"I'll go and talk to her" Wendy volunteered, getting up from her seat. She scurried to the door, leaving in a panic to catch up with her friend. But she was now long gone. The sky dragon slayer knew where her destination would lead her and began to head out towards the east forest towards the old cottage house. His house.
She fiddled with her thumbs as she walked on through the trees, climbing over the tree trunks and avoiding the poison ivy. She had diverted from the path, in hope to reach Lucy quicker by taking a short-cut but it instead, it seemed she had gotten lost. She bit her lip, curiously searching around and sniffing out for Lucy's scent, but instead the scent she had picked up was much different, yet familiar. Her nose twitched.
Someone she knew was in the forest. Her first thoughts was Doronbolt, perhaps he was checking up on her. She shook her head, following the scent. It couldn't be Doronbolt, his scent was mild. This one was sweet but bold. She giggled, if Elfman were here he could claim it to be manly- but to her it really was.
Eventually her nose took her to a stream. It was hidden by the bushes and trees surrounding it and lead out to the lake, she realized this. But however it gave her the perfect view for the sunset. She gawked at it, the sun fading down to the edge of the land, but then came that scent once more. She inhaled it sharply, turning her head to a dark figure by the stream. She froze, her eyes piercing into the person who was arched over the stream. She sneaked forward, watching as this figure grunted low revealing to her to be a man.
What was a random man doing here? Wendy questioned it. Maybe he was friendly? She hoped so. But for some reason, she seemed connected with this person and soon she felt her feet take her into his view. She stared as the man looked up with deep interest, rising from his position. He clutched his hands into fists and Wendy's mouth dropped as the fists sparked with fire. Her eyes shrunk, as the light from the blaze revealed the ghost.
"It…can't be" she muttered low. "You're…dead"
XXX
"ERZA! GRAY! ANYONE! QUICK…PLEASE!" Wendy was frantic as she smashed herself into the double doors of the guild hall, her eyes watering and her breathing heavy. "PLEASE ANYONE! COME QUICK!"
"What's wrong Wendy?" Mira asked, running to her. "Did someone hurt you?"
"NO! YOU NEED TO SEE THIS! IT'S HIM! IT'S HIM!" she screamed loudly, pulling at Mira's wrist. Erza was the next to walk to the crazy bluenette. She placed her hand over her forehead and shook her head.
"Did you not check up on Lucy?" she questioned, frowning. Wendy forcefully shook her head, attempting to pull both ladies outside. Mira clearly giggled at this, but Erza had quickly pointed out something. Wendy had shouted 'It's Him' What exactly did she mean by this? Gray had now come in to break up the party in front of him, along with Gajeel and Levy. All of them stood around Wendy who was too stunned for words. She couldn't clearly speak properly.
"Wendy, who did you see?" Erza asked.
"HIM! HIM!"
"A guy?" Gray puckered his brow.
"A normal guy?" Gajeel wondered as he stared at her. But she shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. The next they knew, poor Wendy had fell to her knees not being able to cope with the emotions burying inside of her.
"NO! HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!" she blurted between sobs. "But I saw him! I swear, I saw him" this made the mages, all of them in the guild freeze as Wendy continued to sob.
"Wait, are you saying you saw…" Levy stopped, looking up at Gajeel who was already off followed by Gray and Erza. If anyone could pick up his scent, it would be Gajeel. And he was doing just that.
Wendy wept into Mira's chest as they embraced. Was he haunting her? No, she saw him plain and simple. He was there, staring back at her. But there was a problem. He didn't know who she was. He couldn't remember Fairy-Tail.
"Natsu…it's you" her eyes shrunk down in size as she gaped at him. There he was, right in front of her, bare-chested with only black shorts to keep him covered. Her cheeks flushed madly as she admired him. This was Natsu. She knew it. The scent, the look…it was him. The only thing that didn't make sense was where was his white scarf, the one thing he had always kept with him. She stepped forward, her arm reaching out to him. But he remained still, watching her with wonder. "You're alive?"
He didn't speak, only glared at her. "I…can't…believe it, it's really you" she was quickly taken back when he parted his lips to speak.
"You" he says simply. He turns looking out to the stream, only for Wendy's eyes to grow wide. His Fairy-Tail mark…it was gone? It was normally so obvious to seek out, but it was gone. Washed off, destroyed. "I don't know you" he tells her harshly.
"Wait, what? You do…it's me, Wendy"
"Doesn't ring a bell" he shakes his head cockily. "I'm sure I would remember that sky magic" he placed his finger to his lips and lets out a grin. "You're a dragon slayer right?"
It broke her down.
He didn't know who she was.
"Come with me!" Wendy shouted. "I'll help you get your memory back! I promise, we will find a way!" she started running, her heart beating fast. It was Natsu. She knew it. But how could he be alive? It didn't make sense. How?!
XXX
Gajeel confirmed Natsu's scent the moment he followed Wendy's old scent. The trail had took them through the dark forest. Erza and Gray were high-spirited as they sprinted through, their hearts leaping out of their chests. Gray skidded through the dirt, reaching the stream that Wendy once was. But there was no Natsu. In fact it was all dull and gloomy. He choked up, looking around before catching Erza and Gajeel coming up from behind him.
"So where is he?" they asked, scanning the surroundings.
"The scent stops here" Gajeel tells them. "He must still be here, that or someone's playing tricks on us"
"No, I believe the words from Wendy! Did you not see her? It was obvious he was here"
The three of them stood wandering around the stream. There was no other clues that Natsu had been here, this was when Erza piped up. She looked at her two comrades and pulled her stern look.
"We can't tell Lucy about this…" she muttered. "Not yet, not until we find him"
"Shouldn't one of us check up on her?" Gray questioned, shoving his hands into his pockets. "For all we know, if he really was here…he may have gone to his old home" he had doubt in his voice. Although he believed that Wendy had saw him, for all they knew, she could have accidently casted the milky way to speak with his spirit. Besides, no one can come back from dying. He knew this, from experiencing death of his parents, his mentor Ur and her daughter Ultear. No one could possibly come back from the dead. It was impossible.
"Ok Gray, you go and check on her. Me and Gajeel will explore a bit more" her eyes shone out to the stream. "For some reason, I have a bad feeling about all of this" she looked at the two men, signaling Gray to leave while her and Gajeel remained. Once the ice wizard was out of ear range, the red-head glanced at her comrade and with a serious tone, spoke. "Did you really smell him?"
Gajeel grinned at this. Was she seriously doubting his nose? He knew Salamander's scent anywhere, ever since their first encounter with the Phantom Lord. He raised his eyebrow at her, crossing his strong arms over his chest.
"You have some trust issues titania" he scoffed. "Yes. I'm sure it was salamander's scent"
She sighed heavily because of this.
"I wonder what sort of affect this will have on the guild" she whispered. "Poor Lucy, poor Wendy" she imagined the rest of the guild with teared up expressions which caused her heart to sink. They had struggled for 3 long years without the fire wizard, and now he turns up out of the blue. Something was wrong, and Erza could sense it.
XXX
"Who…who are you?" Lucy stuttered as she pressed her back against her bedroom wall. Chills raced up her spine as she eyed her intruder. He was dressed in a formal attrie, with the colours white, red and blue. His hands were dressed in white gloves and his black hair fell low to his waist. He licked his lips, grinning to ear to ear.
"Why I'm the underworld king Lucy, do you not recognize me?" he gestured himself, looking back to her with an evilish smirk. "My, you can't attend a wedding dressed like that" he stared at her greedily, clicking his fingers and allowing smoke to consume her. She yelped as she felt the smoke tear at her clothes, fixing something else to her body. Once it cleared, she looked to the side where he mirror stood and peered at her reflection. She was now in a white wedding gown, with laced arms and frills on her bottom skirt. She awed at its beauty, her head switching back to Mard Geer.
"What are you planning?" Lucy begged, as she closed herself from the stranger. "What do you want with me?" this made Mard Geer sneer at her. She was frightened, he could sense it.
"I want the power to summon the Celestial King" he coaxed. "The only way to do that, is…" he paused, looking at Lucy's feared expression. There was a reason she was in a wedding dress.
"Wait, no…I don't want to" she shook her head forcefully. "Please don't make me!"
"You have no choice in the matter. Now, come with me" she didn't have time to react as once again the black smoke clouded her, ripping them both away from her apartment. She clenched her eyes shut only to open them again in a familiar place. She recalled the décor and the walls. Her old home. The Heartfilia mansion.
Lucy approached the old cottage she called home, her eyes avoiding the wooden sign that had his name carved into it. She always did. She had left the guild in rage, knowing very well that at least one of her guild mates would follow her. She predicted it to be Erza, but then with her outburst she was beginning to doubt that. She didn't mean to lash out. The pain was hurting her. She knew people were at a loss but Lucy was weaker. She was forced to marry one of the nine demon gates Mard Geer for his attempt to kill the Celestial Spirit King. She remembered the many demons that trapped her, keeping her at Mard's bay. It sickened her. She didn't want this.
She was kept at her old mansion for seven dull days as Mard and his demon fellows prepped the wedding. It was then that Lucy decided to send out one of her spirits to find her guild mates. She had called out Virgo to locate Natsu and the others, but told them not to come for her. It was dangerous. She had remembered the last time when Natsu failed to defeat Mard Geer when he had activated face. There was no way he could save her. She didn't want any of her friends to risk their lives.
She growled to herself, as she reached the door handle to open the old cottage. It was dark inside, and full of clutter. The wall was still covered with missions and memories of her past friend. She looked away, switching the light to reveal the cozy home. His hammock was still outstretched to her left as she walked in. She could imagine him lying there, with his cocky smile and scruffy pink hair. Tears formed in her eyes. She couldn't cope with it.
She was punishing herself. Levy had told her that.
"You need to get rid of his stuff, you're torturing yourself Lu" the bluenette groaned. "You're just reminding yourself everyday"
"But it's my fault…he's dead"
She believed what she said. It was her fault. And this was her punishment. She had let her best friend die for her, left his body to be crushed by her old family home. She welled up by the thought. Before she knew it, she had dropped to her knees, cupping her hands to her face allowing them to catch her sorrow.
"I'm…a…terrible…person" she cried out. She knew that to her, Natsu was more than just a best friend. But she was too scared to admit it. She loved him. Whenever she saw him, her heart would skip and her legs would tremble. At times, she would deny it, hiding the facts by pulling out silly stunts. She had just hoped that he loved her too. He never admitted it. But he did show much emotion for her. Her safety was his curse.
Sure Happy would often tease them both, but it never occurred to either of them that they could actually have feelings towards each other.
"Hey Luce!" Natsu grinned as he and Happy had made their way to the blonde in the guild hall. It was Lucy's birthday and although she didn't really feel like doing much on that day, the guild decided to surprise her. She was sat along with Wendy and Levy who were boasting about their gifts to her.
"Thank you so much" Lucy whispered. "I wasn't expecting this" her eyes flickered to the pink haired mage and the flying cat beside him. They leeched to her table, their smiles wider than anyone's.
"Happy birthday Lucy" Happy chimed. "Natsu got you something" he flushed, pushing the dragon slayer closer. This made Natsu nervously. A faint blush appeared under his cheeks as he scratched the back of his head.
"Um…yeah. Here Lucy" he dumped his hand into his pocket, pulling out a black velvet box. Levy and Wendy's eyes grew wide as he smirked at them.
"Natsu's gonna propose?!" Cana had shouted, peeking over at the sight. This made all the guild members turn their heads with excitement and shock as Natsu groaned. He avoided their stares, placing the box before her eyes. There was a silent moment when Lucy just stared at it, slightly unsure what it was. Her heart pounded from her chest as she looked to her best friend. He had that look. A cocky grin, the one he usually had when he felt proud. Slowly, she reached out, clutching the box between her fingers.
"What is it Lucy?" Wendy asked, as she watched the blonde flip the box open. Her eyes glistened as she stared down at a thin gold ring with a sparkly clustered diamond as its masterpiece. She bit her lip, looking back at him with interest.
"It's a ring?" she couldn't quite understand, as she looked back at the rest of the guild. Their faces torn with surprise.
"Yeah! Girls like jewelry right?" Natsu commented brightly. "I saw this one guy buy one similar. I thought you would like this one" he explained, shrugging.
"But…it's an engagement ring" she stated, scanning it. Again Natsu shrugged his shoulders, perching on the table. Happy landed beside her, looking at the ring with pride.
"He loooooves you" he teased. Natsu had ignored him, but Lucy felt her chest tighten.
"I don't know what an engagement ring is…but that ring looked pretty. And you're my best friend, so you deserve it" he grinned wider as Lucy rose from her chair, pulling him into her hug.
"Thank you" she placed her head on his chest, smiling brightly. "You're…amazing"
Her ring was now somewhere hidden the rubble, along with his body. She sulked low, slamming her hands against the floor. Why did he give her that ring? There must have been feelings attached? She recalled walking past one of the jewelry stores and catching a duplicate of her ring. It was 35,000 jewels. It was a lot of money. He must have been going on a lot of jobs to afford it. Stupid Natsu. She didn't deserve that ring. Not then and definitely not now.
"Lucy" her ears perked up as a familiar voice echoed. She made no attempt to get up from her knees to greet the incomer, as he stepped inside the cottage. "I came to check up on you" she bit her lip. So it wasn't Erza, it was in fact Gray who had come to her.
"I'm…fine" she whispered between sobs.
"Sure ya are. Look at you" he pushed himself down to her level, clasping her chin with his hand. "This isn't the Lucy we all know and love" she pulled away from him, her eyes sore from her uncontrollable tears.
"I know"
"We all miss him. I know I do" Gray slowly began to rub her back as her tears continued. "He was like a brother to me. Cocky little shit he was" he sniggered, causing Lucy to let out a soft giggle between weeps. "See…I haven't heard that giggle in a while" he chimed. Lucy choked, shaking her head.
"I didn't get…to tell him" she whispered. "It hurts too much"
"I'm sure he felt the same way" Gray mumbled, looking at her. "I mean, he brought you a feckin' engagement ring without knowing it" he tried to joke on the matter, which was a success as Lucy giggled once more. "He is an idiot" he shook his head, smirking. But Lucy paused, staring at him with wonder. She clasped her breath, as he looked back, shallowing hard. "What?" he asked.
"You said is" she stated.
Gray's eyes widened. Did he really say that? He choked on his words, nervously laughing.
"I meant was. Was an idiot" he mumbled, his lips drying up. Lucy watched this, studying his now sweaty palms. He was hiding something. "Look Lucy, I was thinking" he stopped, rubbing his palms to his jeans. "If you ever want to go out sometime" she stared at him as he blushed deeply. "Me and you, we could…"
"Are you…asking me out?" her lips wobbled, as he flinched. Was that why he was so nervous? He wanted to ask her out? Lucy slowly wiped her tears, rising from the ground as Gray slowly helped her up.
"Uh…yeah, I guess" he shrugged at this. Perhaps it would get her mind of things. "As friends" he added quickly.
"I'll like that" she whispered. "Thanks Gray"
"Don't mention it" he shoved his hands back into his pockets, allowing a smile to cloud his face. "You know, you should consider moving into Fairy Hills" this made her shake her head softly.
"I belong here" she noted. "Who would look after this place else?" she muttered. Gray tried to nod, but instead he twitched. He felt something, like someone was watching them. Their eyes beading into them like droplets of hot lava. He cringed, turning to the window. It was dark and he couldn't see anything from the outside.
"Are you ok?" Lucy asked.
"Hm? Oh yeah…fine" he tensed slowly, as Lucy noticed this. Her eyebrow puckered up and her lip trembled. Carefully, she turned her head in the direction to the window, just to see what he was looking at. "Sorry, blanked out" Gray managed to say, startling her.
"It's ok I guess…thanks for the talk Gray" she smiled briefly, as the ice wizard began to walk towards the door. His eyes flickered to the window as he opened the door, letting himself out.
"Don't mention it. I'm here if you need me" he froze at this, shutting the door behind him. He shouldn't leave her there alone, can he? She was so helpless in her situation. Again, his hands made their way to his pockets as he walked on. He was being watched. He knew it.
XXX
Gray wondered through the woods. His thoughts were on Lucy. He feared leaving her behind. She was broken. He knew she could fight for herself but in her condition, would she? He shook his head, stepping over a few broken twigs. His eyes landed on the scene for a second, dirt was scattered and branches were snapped. Curiously, he looked up at the tree. Shivers ran through his body as he stared at the darkness. Someone had been sitting in the tree and it must have fell down? He breathed in deeply, does that mean he was close?
Earlier he felt someone was watching him. Were they still? He had been too focused on Lucy that he completely forgotten about the strange force following him. He stopped, peeking from the corner of his eyes. There was no one there. But at the same time, the greedy eyes were on him.
"Come out and face me!" Gray dared as he stood his ground. "I'm not afraid of you" again he tensed as something rustled through the bushes in front of him, catching him off guard. His eyes widened as a shadow appeared. They were toned with muscular arms and legs. Gray had swallowed his own tongue as he looked over. The figure had stopped a few feet in front of him, glaring him down.
"N-Natsu?" Gray couldn't control himself, his eyes shrunk low as he slowly pulled his hands from his pockets, clamping them together. He was ready to do ice make magic just in case. But the figure snorted, stepping a little forward to examine the ice wizard. He scoffed, sniffing the mage from his distance. He could tell what magic he was going to use, what attack by his poised position. "How are you not dead?" Gray shouted to him. "Lucy saw you die!"
He trembled as the figure repeated the name.
"Lu…cy"
"Yes! She watched you die! You shouldn't be standing Natsu! So tell me! What the fuck happened to you?" Gray gritted his teeth as Natsu slowly tilted his head with confusion. It was clear as day to Gray that he had no memories as he slowly bit his lip, looking at his so called friend before him. There was silence and Natsu remained still, his eyes twitching to Gray's shaken hands. Was he really going to use magic on him? Natsu sneered at this, watching carefully at his attacker.
"TELL ME!"
Gray continued to scream and shout, his legs trembling till finally he fell to his knees, crushing the broken twigs further under his weight. His hands freely went to his sides as he cupped the dirt around him, allowing it to crumble in his fists. He sniffled, slowly weeping.
"You're…supposed to be…dead" he growled low, as he wept. "Typical Natsu, cheating death" he tried to laugh but instead a whine of tears flooded his face. Hot tears running down the cold ice maker's cheeks to his chin. He hadn't realized when two feet stood before him. Natsu had slowly made his way to the crying fool, kneeling down to him and slowly placing his hand on his shoulder. His face stayed serious, emotionless as he looked over Gray's shoulder.
"I don't know who you are" he began, his voice crackled. "Or how you know me" his hand tightened on his shoulder. "But I know one thing" he closed his eyes slowly, fear tingling down to Gray's shoulder, causing strain on his heart. "Lucy" he bit down hard on his lips as he hissed her name. Gray's tears iced over as he spoke her name. He wanted Lucy? But why? The way he mentioned her name didn't sound inviting either. Without warning, Gray's hand snatched to his shoulder, clamping Natsu's wrist.
"Touch her and you'll regret it!" Gray warned.
This made Natsu laugh evilly as he slowly rose from his knelt position, his eyes burning into Gray. Darkness covered his face with only his fangs showing.
"I'll like to see you try"
XXX
The guild was silent. Wendy slowly sobbing in the corner with Mira and Lisanna comforting her. Cana was drunk between the two older men Wakaba and Macao. Romeo had sat beside his father, twiddling with his thumbs. He couldn't get over Wendy's frightened look. She had seen Natsu, his role model, his hero. He wanted to cry but he couldn't show weakness, especially not in front of the others.
Gajeel and Erza had returned a few hours ago with no clues on Natsu's whereabouts. The red-head had told the others that Gray was with Lucy, feeling it was the best option. Happy and Carla were sat on the table closest to the door, the blue cat worried for his blonde motherly figure. Since Natsu's death, she was the closest to him than ever. His eyes were torn up by the torture she had seen and he wanted to be by her. He wanted to fly out and be with Lucy, but Erza urged him not too.
"Gray is with her now. She'll be fine" she told him.
"But she needs me" Happy claimed angrily. "We're a family. Me and Lucy!"
Erza shook her head sadly, she understood Happy's pain, but she knew the more that had bothered her would just make her feel surrounded. There was silence as everyone sat looking to Gajeel and Erza. They waited by the doors, whispering to themselves. Gajeel was certain that Natsu was about and Erza believed the words from the sky slayer. They knew he was out there, but where? How did he survive? Lucy had told the guild the whole story about Mard Geer using his curse magic to destroy him, killing him. It made Erza angry that Mard was never truly caught for the murder. He had vanished and never came back. She began to think perhaps Natsu's second origin had kept him alive and he was back for revenge for his death. But then she doubted this, after all, Natsu had forgotten his memories.
"Stop thinking red, you're making my eyes hurt" Gajeel growled. Her face was screwed up with deep thought and Gajeel continued to watch her as she tensed her hands and arms. "I'm sure salamander can find himself home"
"You think? Without any memories?" she groaned. "I don't even think he knows who he is"
"Oh he knows" a voice echoed through the guild and all their eyes fell on the opening of the double doors to their building. Gray had appeared, his hands clutching the doors as he slowly closed them shut. His eyes were sore from the tears he had produced and his body covered in mud and dried dirt. Erza frowned as she approached him first, examining him with wide eyes.
"What the hell happened to you Gray?" she demanded, her hands grabbed his shoulders as he tensed slightly. Gajeel was the next to come up, sniffling madly.
"He made contact with you" he said angrily. "You guys didn't fight did you?" Gray shook his head at the question, slowly pushing Erza's hands away from him so he could take off his jacket, revealing a red handprint on his shoulder. Everyone glared at it with fear. The handprint belonged to Natsu. He had placed his hand on to him, to comfort him. But he hadn't realized his heat from his hand had burned through. Gray winced as he placed his cool hand on the mark, slowly freezing it over to stop the burning.
"Did you see him too Gray?" Wendy blurted as she rose from her seat. She clutched her hand to her chest, staring deeply at him.
"Yeah" Gray groaned. "And I know why he's here" there was silence, allowing Gray to explain himself. He growled low, biting his teeth together hard. "He's after Lucy"
The guild was so silent that you could hear Gray's blood boiling. He squeezed his fists tighter, looking at the wounded looks his guild mates had given him. There was sorrow, regret and sadness. Till he looked to Gajeel.
"If he thinks about touching bunny girl, he has another thing coming" he snapped. Levy looked over at him, her heart touched by his fearsome attitude. She felt herself slowly closing her eyes. Why did Natsu want to harm Lucy? How was it he could only remember her and no one else? Her eyes fell onto Wendy who sniffled low.
"Oh Lu"
XXX
"Natsu! Wait up!" Lucy called out as she ran to him. She panted hard as she slowly managed to catch up with him. She threw her hands to her knees, with her back arched over allowing Natsu to admire her. Happy floated beside them, smiling wider.
"So you're coming with us?" he asked brightly. She nodded, her hand clutching her keys to her waist.
"Yeah, I decided I could use the money for next week's rent" she gleamed at the flying cat, as he fell into her arms, rubbing himself against her chest. She mumbled at this. "Stupid cat"
He ignored her, as both them stared up at Natsu. He stood there for a moment, staring at the sweet sight of Lucy and Happy. They were his family. His best friends.
"That's if you don't mind me tagging along?" she whispered.
Natsu grinned at this.
"You're our team-member silly, of course I don't mind! If anything, we wanted you to come" he grinned wider, his eyes flickering to his keys. "We need that crabby spirit of yours anyway"
She frowned.
"Oh, so…" she looked at him with disappointment.
"You're so weird Luce" he sniggered, turning on his heel. "Come on already! Let's go" without thinking, he grabbed her hand and a sweet spark flickered as Lucy stared. The touch was warming, as it usually was. She remembered her mother mention something like this. Her heart ached as he pulled her along, his fingers entwining with hers. They ran, and her eyes glistened. Her feelings for him growing stronger.
XXX
Lucy sat by the river bank. Her eyes glistened at the water as she skipped another rock. Beside her was her blue furry friend, Happy who had a fishing rod in his hand. His face grown as he felt a pull on the string.
"Lucccy! I got one!" he chimed as he stood up on his feet. His paws clung to the rod as he began to pull, bringing out a medium sized fish. This startled Lucy as she jumped, the fish almost whacking her directly in the face. She landed on her behind in the grass, as Happy hugged his wet fish with pride. "I got it!"
"Good for you" she groaned, rubbing her bum and dusting the dirt from her skirt. "You almost slapped me with a fish"
"Sowwy bout that Lushy" Happy smirked as he played with his flappy fish.
"Didn't anyone tell you not to play with your food" Lucy sniggered, watching him in his playful mood. Happy looked back to her with big eyes. He shook his head.
"No, but you just did" he said happily. She rolled her eyes at this.
"So eat it already" she ordered. The sight of him torturing the fish with his claws made her cringe. He gleamed brightly.
"Aye!" he took a bit into its side, grinning at the taste. "Wanna bite Lushy?" he asked, holding the now bloody fish in front of her. She panicked, falling back and landing into the water as Happy watched her squirm.
"AHHHHHH!" the splash made Happy giggle as the blonde surfaced the water. Her arms spread out as she swam back to the edge, pulling herself back up. "Look at me! I'm drenched!" she squealed.
"You look fine to me Lushy" Happy sniggered as he bit into his fish once more. "I take it you don't want any?" he asked. Lucy looked away, sulking.
"No, you eat it"
"Aye, you like yours cooked huh?" she nodded at this, laying back into the grass. Her eyes darted to the sky. It was blue and bright. She quickly wondered if Natsu was watching them, imagining him laugh at the scene. She couldn't help but smile at this. But what she didn't know, was those eyes were watching her.
The lake was open, but afar was a meadow. Natsu was sat, hidden like a predator. His eyes stalked her. He was no longer half naked, but in fact dressed in his usual black waist coat and baggy trousers. He had found a matching set in his old cottage while Lucy and Happy were at the guild that early morning. He was cautious, watching as Happy eat the fish down to the bone. His tummy rumbled at this, that fish sure looked tasty. He could have easily burnt it to a crisp and ate it there and then, but he couldn't have shown himself to them. He had cursed himself that he allowed two people see him already. A sky dragon slayer and a pesky ice maker. Both of them knew him, or claimed too.
"Happy" Lucy mumbled softly, as she sat up to meet his eyes. He dropped his boned fish, licking his paws as he turned to his friend. She seemed lost and full of doubt. "Don't you think everyone at the guild was acting…strange today?" she wondered. Happy stared at her bewildered.
"Um…aye?" he nodded.
"Do you think it's because I stormed out yesterday?" she asked again, her lips trembling. Happy shook his head, he knew the real reason but had sworn not to let it slip. But he wanted to tell her. Give her hope.
"No" he said simply.
"But…they seemed off with me. I didn't mean to storm out the way I did…it's just" she stopped, looking down at her hands. "I miss him, you know?" Happy watched her idly.
"I miss his cocky smile, the way he would look at me with those eyes, telling me everything will be ok" she sniffled, imagining his look in her head. "He's not here to tell me that. Or to pester me on jobs" her eyes welled up. "I'm a terrible person, to leave him there Happy" she shook her head, her hands hiding her face. "I miss him so much. He made me fall for him and he's not even here anymore"
Happy smirked, having an urge to let out his old common saying. But knew it wouldn't be taken lightly. He hated to see his friend like this. He had comforted her most nights when she would sleep in her bed, crying in her sleep about the memory over and over again. As she wept, Happy curled to her lap. He tucked himself in with his tail and waited as Lucy softly brushed his fur with her wet hand.
Natsu pondered at this. She was crying? His prey was crying and he didn't understand why. Watching her had clouded his judgement. He gaped at her as she hugged the blue cat in her lap, thanking him for his support. It was then he smelt someone coming. A scent that soon matched its owner. A redheaded armored mage had made her way through the bushes, slashing her sword. She paused, catching the sight of Lucy and Happy.
"There you two are"
"Oh…hi Erza" Lucy released the kitty cat from her arms, allowing her hand to wave to her comrade. "What brings you here?"
"Lucy, I thought I told you to stay at the guild" Erza scolded at her like a young child disobeying orders. Her sword vanished in thin air, as she crossed her arms over her plated chest.
"Yeah, but I didn't like the tension there. It seemed off" the blonde admitted. Erza eyed her, then scanned around the lake. "I came here. It's where the three of us used to come" she smiled brightly which caused Erza's heart to warm up. Lucy smiled! Perhaps her talk with Gray actually changed her?
"I see" she quipped.
"You know Erza, I was wondering" she broke out, biting her lip. "Why was the guild so off today? Wendy didn't even look at me once, it was like she was afraid too. And Gray was the quietest I've seen him" she said sadly.
"Uh, there's a lot going on at the moment Lucy" Erza admitted briskly.
"So? Why hasn't no one told me?" Lucy wondered. "Am I not allowed to know?" her eyes looked down to her right hand, at her fairy mark. "I thought I was part of the guild too. It seems you guys are hiding things from me"
"Of course not" Erza lied. She bit her tongue, lying to her friend was the lowest thing she could do. "I'm sorry" Lucy stared at her, lowering hands to her side. This made Lucy sigh at her friend.
"Don't worry about it, but I'll rather stay out here than the guild" she stated softly. "I hope you don't mind, it's nothing personal, just its nicer out here" she smiled again.
"At least take Gray with you" Erza demanded. "I don't like you being here on your own" this resulted with Happy calling out offended. "I meant with someone who can protect you" Lucy eyed her curiously.
"Protect me from what?"
This caused Erza to gulp. She let it slip. Now she felt like a fool.
"Nothing" she lied.
"I know you're lying Erza. Tell me, what's going on?" Lucy's eyes pierced into her friend's. She knew something was up and now, she was determined to find out. Erza shook her head, stepping away. "Hey! Don't leave! Tell me!" she stood up, watching as Erza shook her head again, pacing herself away. She ran off, and Lucy was left confused and angry. She turned to Happy. "I knew they were hiding something from me!" she growled. "And I know it has something to do with him" her hands clenched tightly. "But I need to find out what" she made no attempt to stay where she was, instead she began to walk on with Happy trailing behind her.
"Where are you going Lushy?"
"I'm going back" she whispered. "I'm going to my old home"
XXX
The mansion was ruined, half of the building remained yet he rest was crumbled to the ground. To Lucy it looked like a battlefield. Three years ago, it was. She stepped onto the broken cobblestoned pathway with Happy flying beside her. She wanted answers and this was where she was going to get them. Her heart pumped fast as she stared out. Her home was torn apart and her life she once had here was now broken. She made herself to the mansion, the broken down hall where it all happened. She let out a soft cry, turning to Happy.
"I never told you what happened did I?" she whispered, looking to the rumble. Happy choked on his own words, was she going to tell him. He landed to her side, staring out at the mess. "It happened here" she slowly rubbed her bare arm from the cold shivers. "I was to marry Mard Geer so he could bond my magic to him, to lead the Celestial Spirit King out and dispose of him once and for all. I had told Virgo a few days ago that I didn't want you guys to come" she tried to smirk. "But Natsu was determined to rescue me. That day I was stood at the altar, surrounded by all the demons created by the dark wizard. Mard stood beside me"
…
"You will be my bride" he snarled. "And with your magic, I can finally kill that King of Spirits" he chanted. Lucy stood weakly, her lips parted to speak, but she knew it was useless. Every time she spoke out, resulted in torture for her. She kept her voice in her throat. "Wed us!" he growled to the demon vicar, dressed in black. His teeth sneered at Lucy as he began to speak out in a foreign language- a demon language that Lucy couldn't understand. Her heart ached as he looked to Mard Geer who nodded his head. "I take this human, Lady Lucy Heartfilia to be mine. Her power combined with mine, as demon and wife" his face lit up with pride as he clasped her hand. "You will accept me, my beloved" he ordered. The vicar turned to Lucy who gulped softly, a lump forming in her throat.
"Do you object?" the vicar growled. Lucy bit her lip, freezing in her spot. She wanted to scream no, with all her might she wanted too, but as she was about to accept, the words roared from the distance, taking her words straight from her mind.
"Oh hell she does!"
His voice! It was him! Lucy span, her eyes widened as the fearsome Natsu Dragneel smashed into the entrance with fire blaring. He ignored all the demons, his goal Mard Geer.
"Natsu!"
She was swung to the side, as Mard pushed her from the altar, waiting for Natsu's impact. The blaze of fire swarmed around them, the walls caving in as Natsu sent punches his way.
"Fire dragon roar"
The blast pierced Mard's body as he crushed into the altar. His eyes dark, he rose up, his power matching Natsu's equally. His dark curse corrupted the fire mage's body, slamming him into the ground as he smirked.
"You fool, you cannot defeat a demon!"
"I can try!" Natsu growled. His fists fired at Mard, with every mighty power he had. He aimed and struck him down. It was then Lucy watched. The demons around her had now made their way out, hearing more of the fairies outside. It was a war. A war between Fairies and Demons. Lucy cried at this. They would die. She knew it. Her family would be destroyed.
Her eyes flickered to Mard who was now laying on the ground, he glared evilly as Natsu stood over him ready to take out the final blow. It was then that Lucy screamed.
Mard had reached out clutching his hand into the dragon slayer's chest, feeling Natsu's heart inside his gruesome hand. He snarled, wanting to yank it out. But hearing Lucy's scream, he began to think twice. Automatically Natsu had dropped to his knees, looking to his chest with wide eyes. His heart burned, his eyes looking frantic to Lucy.
"NATSU! NO MARD PLEASE!" she begged him. But Mard was a cruel demon. He crushed his heart tight, music to ears when Natsu screeched. His hands weakly caught himself as he dropped to the ground, looking at Mard with hatred.
"You!" he snarled. Mard Geer's eyes shrunk low as he enjoyed the torture. Staring into his soul, he looked back at his bride to be, who was heartbroken.
"NOOOOOO!" Lucy screamed, running towards them but Mard released Natsu after a tighter grasp, pulling his now bloody hand from his chest and throwing him to the ground. His body crashed down as Mard stood up, dusting himself clean before watching Lucy rage. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" she squealed out in pain. "NATSU! NATSU!"
Mard sneered at this, turning on his heels. He limbed, walking away from the pair before preaching out to his demon fellows.
"NATSU!"
Her tears were unbearable and followed on cue with Happy's.
"I told him not to come, that he wouldn't win" she sobbed angrily. "But he didn't listen, and for that I had to watch him die" she shook her head, collapsing to the rubble. Her tears had made her vision blurred, but something caught her eye. A white thread that poked from the rocks. Slowly she bent over, reaching it with her fingers.
"Natsu" she cooed. She twiddled it with her fingers, slowly pulling it from the broken stones, revealing the white scaled scarf. She clutched it to her chest as Happy flown over, his eyes wandering to the rocks.
"His scarf" Happy noted. "Natsu would never leave it"
"What?" the saddened blonde whispered as she looked to him. "Natsu's body is here, the scarf stayed with him" she stated. "Unless…"
"Please don't get upset Lucy, Erza told me not to tell you anything" Happy blurted, as tears rushed from his big eyes.
"What? You mean…" emotions overwhelmed her as she stood up from her knees, glaring at him. "HE'S ALIVE?" her eyes burned as she twisted the scarf in her hands. "YOU ALL LIED TO ME!"
"Lushy"
"He's here? He's alive!" her eyes lit up with brightness, with hope. "But it can't be. I watched him die" she screamed out. "He died before my eyes! You're all sick in the head" she shouted. Happy cowered under her. "Why would you all do this to me?" Tears flooded her eyes. "He's dead! Natsu's gone and he won't ever come back, you hear me?" she shouted it out to the world. "And it's all my fault!"
"Lucy please…" Happy tried to explain, but Lucy ignored it. Rage built up inside of her as she stormed off, with the scarf in her hands. She wouldn't let it go.
XXX
A dark cloud roamed over Magnolia, over the guild hall. Erza had sat quietly to herself, along with Mira and Cana. No one spoke a word, just allowed the rain to suddenly hit the roof, rebounded through the hall. Her brown eyes had flickered to the doors as a strange magic power swarmed around the intruder. Darkness, a curse. Erza had seen it before. Mard Geer's power. As she looked to the culprit, her heart weakened as Lucy stood there, her body drenched from the rain and her tears. She kept her face hidden, clutching the object in her hand.
"Lucy"
"You disgust me" she snarled. "All of you! Some stupid prank to make me believe he was still alive" her teeth clenched as she threw the scarf to the ground. It was like she had lost her mind, all the happiness and sadness she had once had was now covered in hatred and evil.
"Lucy" Gray stood up. "It's not what you think"
"Is it not?" she growled. "Explain to me! Why you all lied to me? My own guild, my family?" she roared angrily. "I knew something was wrong! And you all kept it from me!"
"We didn't want to upset you" Erza chanted sadly as she rose from her seat.
"WELL NOW I'M COMPLETELY PISSED!" it was usual for Lucy to swear, she clenched her fists tightly, allowing darkness to consume her. Happy had flown in besides her, fearing as he darted towards Wendy and Carla. They clutched themselves in fright.
"Lucy please, you need to understand" Erza stopped as Lucy raised her hand, a power unknown to them appeared, pulling apart the bar the redhead had sat near. Mira clutched her head and ducked, as the bar she was behind was torn to pieces. Lucy's eyes were black, causing Erza to quickly re-equip into her armor.
"Erza, what are you doing?" Gray snapped.
"She's possessed! I can sense Mard Geer" the redhead shouted. She turned to the blonde, rising her sword to her. "Lucy! You need to think straight. Mard Geer is overpowering you" again, Lucy used her unknown power to force the building down. Elfman dived towards his sister Lisanna, allowing the rubble to hit him. Wendy fell forward, hugging the two cats in her arms. Tears fell from her face as she looked at the possessed Lucy. Levy tried to approach her but was forced back by Gajeel.
"Lucy! This isn't you!" Gray shouted.
"It is me!" she snarled.
"Hold her down!" Erza demanded. Macao and Wakaba dived forward, their arms out to pin her down, but she forced them away using a strange black magic. The ground under her crumbled and the next to dart forward was the she-devil. Mira attempted to claw at her, but Lucy dodged every movement, smacking her away.
"You all lied to me!" she growled.
Her eyes burned into Erza as she lunged for her. Erza escaped her movements, knocking Lucy down. But it had no effect, Lucy span round, her black magic clasping Erza, making her drop her sword. Gray came up behind her.
"Ice Make: Cannon" but he was whipped down. Juvia who had been watching from the side lines grew angry from this.
"LOVE RIVAL WILL PAY" she shouted as she fired her water nebula at the blonde. Again Lucy dodged it, keeping a hard grip to Erza. It was then that the storm began to get worse, the double doors fired open and stood there was a dark figure. Erza looked out to see, her hopes on the stranger to be Natsu. But instead her eyes grew wider.
A young boy stood there. Black short hair and sorrow in his eyes. In his hands was a magic ball that no one seemed to understand. His white sash covered one side of his shoulder, as he peered up at Lucy. He shook his head sadly, and with using the ball, the black magic was slowly drained.
"I'm sorry" he whispered.
Lucy's black eyes faded, lightening back to brown. Her lips trembled as she fell to her knees, releasing Erza and falling to the ground with a thud. Her eyes closed and her body softened.
"Lucy?" Erza ran to her side, looking back at the dark wizard. "What did you do to her?"
"Me? I simply took away my demon" he said.
"You're…Zeref?" Gray whispered. The boy nodded his head, holding the ball in his hand.
"Yes, my name is Zeref Dragneel. The one you call dark wizard" he spoke calmly, hoping they wouldn't seem him as a threat. Wendy had piped up next.
"Dragneel?" she repeated. He nodded to this.
"Yes. I am Zeref Dragneel" he said once more. "Natsu's brother" he confirmed. "I apologize" he said softly looking to Lucy. "It seemed that once I destroyed Mard Geer, he had passed his power down to Lucy. That bond wasn't recognized till now" he explained. "I have simply obtained it. Your friend Lucy will be fine" he assured them. "Her emotions had unleashed the power he had hidden, you are lucky I was here"
He stood there for a moment, looking at the wounded.
"I'm sorry"
"You should be" Gray hissed. "I don't know what you've been doing, but I know you have something to do with Natsu's appearance"
Zeref nodded at this.
"You are correct" he stated. "Natsu was revived by me"
"How?" Erza asked.
"Well…Natsu is one of my demons. He is known as E.N.D" their eyes grew. "I revived him for one day he would kill me"
"That's stupid! Natsu would never kill anyone" Mira shouted out, as she rose from the ground. Slowly Zeref looked down sadly.
"I know"
"Why is he after Lucy?" Gray asked angrily. This surprised Zeref as he stepped back. "He told me he wanted Lucy, why?" this made him shake his head. He clearly had no idea.
"I don't know" he said honestly.
XXX
Natsu walked along the stream. It was where the 3 of them apparently went fishing. He couldn't remember. But he did try too. The rain poured down and Natsu continued to walk, feeling a burst of energy. He ran. He didn't know where his feet were taking him, but all he knew was to run. His thoughts were dull and slowly he came to a wet pavement, leading up to a guild building. Fairy-Tail. He stared at it with wonder, with dark clouds slowly disappearing to reveal the bright blue sky.
He didn't think not to go in and look.
He stepped up to the stairs, holding the bar as he causally walked up to the building. He paused, spinning as he reached to the top by the double doors only for someone to catch his senses. Behind him was a boy. The dark wizard. He had met him a few times before. He remembered that much.
"Natsu"
"I know you" the dragon slayer whispered.
"Of course you do, I am your brother" he looked down ashamed. "I revived you to kill me, to bring me to peace. But it seems you have lost all your memories" he stated sadly. "I know one thing, you remember Lucy" her name rang in his ears as Natsu stepped forward. "She was in your heart, which is why you can't forget" he explained.
"Wha…" he waited for more, but Zeref only sighed at his brother.
"You know what love is don't you Natsu? I'm sure Igneel had told you" Another name triggered Natsu's mind. A memory of a red scaled dragon, breathing fire flashed through his mind. Igneel. Zeref watched as Natsu tensed at his memories. "Why are you after this girl Lucy?" the brother wondered. Natsu thought deeply at this, before pulling out a ring from his waistcoast. It was gold, with a sparkly clustered diamond in the center. Zeref awed at it.
"I wanted to return this to her" he said calmly.
"Return it? But she gave that to you the day you died" Zeref explained. Natsu bit his lip at this, looking at the small gold ring in his hand.
"I want her to keep it" he mumbled. "I want her to be happy"
"You do?" Zeref watched as his demon brother twiddled the ring with his fingers. "Is she special to you Natsu?" he nodded, replying to his question. "How…weird"
"She's weird too" Natsu bit back, smiling brightly. "I tell her that all the time" he paused at this, he remembered that.
"Well Natsu, the girl you seek…is behind those doors" he pointed behind him, his frown curving into a smile. "I suggest you be careful with her. She's very…delicate" he told him. Natsu looked behind him at the doors, his smile growing to a grin.
"Thanks!" he placed the ring back into his pocket, about to open the door when something triggered. He looked back to his brother, but he vanished, disappeared in thin air. He wondered for a second, looking to the guild hall, admiring the name. Fairy-Tail.
"Fairy-Tail" he slowly began to think deeply.
"Look Natsu! Mira gave me the Fairy-Tail mark" she showed out her right hand, the pink marking covering the back of it. Natsu stared at it. "Good for you Luigi" he muttered. She growled at him.
"IT'S LUCY!"
"There are times when you can't help but give up, there are times when you lose confidence in yourself. But if you keep believing in yourself, you won't lose your confidence, you won't think about giving up, you will go out there and do what's right!"
"I believe in you Natsu, I have done ever since I joined the guild" her smile twinkled at him.
"Fairy…Tail" he smiled, slowly opening the doors.
XXX
"N-Natsu" the guild stared in disbelief as the fire dragon slayer pushed the doors open, waving brightly at his guild members. He twitched for a moment, looking at his arm, where his red fairy mark began to re-appear. He remembered. He remembered everything. "Natsu…can you remember us?" Lisanna asked as she crawled from her brother's arms. He looked at them all, all their faces showing shock and sadness. He smiled brightly, revealing his trademark smirk.
"Of course I do Lisanna" he said happily. "How could I not?" his eyes shone to his family, then down to Erza and the blonde settled in her arms. He frowned lightly, looking at her with confusion. "Lucy"
Her eyes were closed, but her breathing was steady. Gray had given her the white scarf that once belonged to him and he watched with awe as she clutched it to her chest, her lip quivering. Erza brushed her blonde hair from her face, tears forming in her eyes as Natsu approached them. He inhaled, settling beside her.
"Hey Luce" he said simply. Erza's eyes widened as he placed his hand on his scarf, his fingers brushing against Lucy's soft hand. Her eyes twitched, flickering as that special spark triggered. She had wondered for a moment, that she had felt Natsu close to her. But it was impossible. He was dead. "Lucy" She could have sworn she heard his voice, soothing her. Her eyes opened softly, looking to Erza with sorrow. Her bottom lip quivered as she sat up, ignoring the fact that Natsu was beside her. She had noticed him, instead she pulled Erza into a hug and slowly cried into her.
"I thought I heard him" she whispered. "I'm sorry" she wiped her eyes, pulling away from the red-head. Her eyes glowered, feeling a touch of that spark once more. Instantly, she had turned her body round, looking faintly at the pink haired mage. He tried to smile, but instead she looked distraught. "N-Natsu!"
"Hey Luce" he waved his hand at her, and she shivered in her spot.
"You're dead" she stated. "You're not really here" tears welled up in her eyes as she snuggled back to Erza, fear tensing her body. "I watched you die"
"You did. But I'm here" he told her. "I wanted to give you something" he looked down, his hand travelling to his pocket. A lump formed in her throat as she choked down on words. He pulled out the very same ring he had once given her before. "Here" he handed it to her and her heart skipped.
"But…"
"Lucy, I brought it for you. I wanted you to keep it" he tells her calmly. She shakes her head at this, her tears watering down her face.
"I don't want the ring" she whispered sadly. "I want you" her hand carefully reached out to him as she felt his warm hand, her mouth slowly shivering. He wasn't really here was he? But she could feel him. "I want you" she repeated again. Natsu smirked at this, allowing her to play with his hand. "Are you really alive?"
"Alive and well" he admitted happily.
"But…"
"I'm here Luce, no illusion, no trick. Just me" he gestured himself with his thumb, before feeling her weight pounce on him. It was completely unexpected and caught him off guard, he fell to the ground with a thud. She wept into his chest, holding him close to her. Her emotions couldn't hold it in any further, she screamed out, allowing the guild to pile in with the embrace. A family hug she thought.
XXX
There was a massive party. It went on all night, all day. Natsu was practically his jolly self, prancing around the guild hall, starting fights with Gray and blowing apart the guild with his fire attacks. He hadn't noticed that Lucy had left. He could no longer sense her around. He scanned the room, catching himself off guard as Cana slurred towards him, throwing her arm over his shoulder. She handed him her jug, to which he pushed it away.
"No thanks- hey have you seen Lucy?" he asked.
"Ooo, lover-boy. Lucy left ages ago" Cana hiccupped, dragging herself back to the table for a re-fill. She slapped her jug down in front of Mira who made no hesitation in pouring more into it.
"Lucy went to get some fresh air" Wendy exclaimed, as she pounced to Natsu. "You know, since you were gone. Lucy was so sad" she admitted sweetly. "She wouldn't go on jobs, she was kicked out of her apartment" she shook her head sadly. "She cried every day, thinking about you" his gut twisted when she said this. He felt guilty. He had to make it up to her.
"Where would she go?" he wondered. Gray shrugged as he was clutched by Juvia, but Erza had forced herself past. She knew where Lucy would go.
"Try the fishing spot you guys always went too" she answered proudly. "It was a place she went to all the time"
"Fishing spot eh?" Natsu smirked.
XXX
She stood at the edge, looking out at the stream. She believed the amount of times she cried, she could have created a lake like this. Her heart ached and her memories had flooded. She couldn't understand how he was alive, but she didn't care. He was the Natsu she knew and loves. And that's all she cared about. Her hand pressed against her chest, feeling herself breathe. It was a nice night, the moonlight had shone down at her making her feel as peace. She was dressed in her black skirt which floated in the warm wind, her hands clasped against her back now as she looked out. Her hair down passing her shoulders, covering her white blouse. She grinned, her eyes glistening as she recalled her memories. Her hands entwined with his. A soothing sound playing in the background. She just wanted to embrace him, her hands wanting to explore his body. He had told her on that sad day that she was beautiful, that he was glad to see her in a wedding dress. Her heart thumped as she wriggled her heels into the dirt. Did he love her? What was his true feelings towards her? She knew she was his best friend, but she felt torn. She had felt broken when he died, feeling half of a whole. Now that he was here, she had promised herself to tell him her true feelings. To no longer feel like it was a secret. She clasped her hands harder, her palms beginning to sweat.
"There you are" her eyes looked intensely at the dark figure who emerged from the bushes. His wide fanged grin appeared as he stepped into the moonlight, stopping beside her. "What'cha thinking about?" he asked. She blushed at this, releasing her hands to her sides.
"Your death" she whispered. He scolded at her for this, looking at her unpleased smile.
"Don't torture yourself Luce, it wasn't your fault" he told her. "I went there on my own accord" she bit her lip at this, her eyes falling to his chest. There was no mark, no scar where it had shown the presence of Mard's fists that implanted itself into him. He stared at her worryingly. "I'm fine, I'm alive"
"I know and I'm overwhelmed" she admitted. "I thought I'll never see you again, and watching you die…it tore me apart" she shook her head madly, her hand reaching to his chest, where his heart lied. "I saw what he did to you. He was going to take your heart"
"He could never take my heart" Natsu scoffed brightly. She stared at him at this, taken back by his smirk. "It belonged to someone else anyway" he shrugged at this as she slowly looked away. Her hand rubbed her arm, as she looked out at the stream once more.
"I see"
"Lucy…tell me" he paused, placing his hand to her shoulder. "Tell me what you're feeling" she was surprised by his order, glancing at him with deep thought.
"How I'm feeling?" she repeated, unsure on the question. He nodded at this, with a serious look on his face.
"Yeah, I want to know"
Lucy felt an urge to cry. But instead she allowed her voice to squeak out to him.
"I felt abandoned Natsu. My feelings are just juggling back and forth. I suppose you don't remember the day you died, do you?" He nodded at this.
"I do. I remember how I felt when I saw you over me, crying. I don't like seeing my friends cry" he managed to say softly. Lucy rolled her eyes at this.
"Friend, yeah" she mumbled. "That's all I am, a friend" she threw her arms to her chest. "I seem to forget that you know nothing about how I feel" she remarked angrily. "Feelings aren't mutual" Natsu watched her as she huffed. She didn't like the term friend? Then what was she? A team-mate? "Well" she breathed in harshly, turning to face him. Her eyes looked deeply into his, causing him to tremble. "I promised myself I will tell you, how I really felt" she explained. "So here it goes…" Natsu gawked at her wildly as she struck his eyes with hers. A brightness forming. His stomach clenched and twisted, having a sudden urge to pull her close to him. He was right, she was beautiful.
"Natsu, I don't know how to tell you this. And I know you don't necessary know what it means, but I have a warmth in my heart whenever I see you. This safe barrier between you and me when we're close. It's hard to describe, but to me…you're perfect. I feel that you're mine. My dragon slayer. That day you died, I wanted to tell you" her tears formed in her eyes. "How much I loved you, but you were gone by the time I said it" she clasped her hands to her face, crying into them. "I love you and seeing you now hurts too much. My heart aches, and my body just falls to your will" she shook her head. "But you know nothing about love, so I know you don't feel the same" she whispered sadly.
He watched her as she cried in front of him. Love. He remembered that. Igneel had told him much about it. He grinned at this, his hands slowly clawing hers to reveal her face. She looked up at him, stunned as he smiled down at her.
"Lucy"
His voice was calling to her, as he placed his forehead to hers, cupping her hands in his. She wasn't taken by surprise as he leaned closer, his lips slowly closing the gap between hers. It was like the spark she had transformed into a blaze of fire. Her knees caving in as she accepted his kiss, her hands running up his chest and round his neck. Her foot slowly flicking up as he curled his hands around her waist, deepening the kiss once more. Her stomach twisted as she felt his moist tongue explore her mouth. She whimpered as he played with her, before finally pulling away.
"I love you too Luce"