The next morning, the same familiar light filled her room, and Lucy once again awoke and prepared herself for the day. Today would be the very last day of the Grand Magic Games. It amazed her how quickly they seemed to come and go when she wasn't participating in them. Well, and when they weren't punctuated with an apocalyptic rip in the time space continuum culminating in a Dragon attack the likes of which the world had never seen. Again, she looked in the mirror just before leaving and told herself she was going to try her best today, but somehow, she could tell her own eyes lacked the same spark they had yesterday. She told herself not to worry, she'd had her good days and her bad days over the past year, and one down day didn't negate the progress she had made in her new life. Slinging her bag over her shoulder once more, she made her way back to the Colosseum.

"Today is the last day of the Grand Magic Games!" The Announcer's voice boomed, "This will decide the best guild in Fiore. Surviving the Semi-Finals with his overwhelming strength is Chrisaac from Dullahanhead! Versus the guild that has shown us miracle upon miracle, Skull Millione!"

"This year's games are based entirely on tournaments," Mato took over in his high-pitched voice, "So this final match alone will decide the winner!"

"COOL! COOL!" Justin chirped next to Lucy as they leaned over the wall of the press box, "We're going to be able to write a great article on this, Lucy!"

She gazed out at the field, spacing out as she took in the appearance of the guilds about to battle. Was it just her, or did the people from the less famous guilds always look...weird to her?

"Lucy!" A sharp voice pulled her out of her reverie.

"Ah, sorry Senpai, what were you saying?"

"LOOK! The battle's about to start!" Jason pointed, his face exuberant.

"Yeah, but it's all an act," Lucy sighed in a lackadaisical manner.

"Not really, I mean Skull Millione's had a rocky start," he replied, "but who knows, they might just-"

"That's what I'm saying," Lucy interrupted, "Sure, Chrisaac's strong, but from what I see, Skull Millione's members are way stronger, but they're hiding it. Probably because they're doing it for the money."

Jason's loud shout of "HUH?!" was drowned out by the announcer's booming voice declaring,

"AND THE WINNER IS SKULL MILLIONE! WHAT A SHOCK!"

"Oh, what a surprise," Mr. Yajima's even-keeled voice said, suggesting he wasn't really all that surprised.

"And since they were an unexpected winner, they're worth 100 times more than usual to the bookies!" Mato intoned.

Jason turned to Lucy, a shocked look on his face,

"Amazing! It's just like you said, Lucy! COOL!"

"Yeah," She sighed, looking down dejectedly, "sure, they're strong, but to have them as the number one guild…"

"Oh, what's happening over there?" The announcer's voice came back on the speaker, "A suspicious person has entered the arena."

Lucy's head snapped up and looked toward the arena entrance, only to see a cloaked figure standing there. Their face was obscured by the large hood, but they looked...threatening.

"An intruder?" Lucy said, her eyebrows furrowing together.

She could vaguely hear the wizards of Skull Millione demanding an explanation from the stranger, but whoever it was said nothing as they advanced slowly toward the winning guild. The air around the intruder's feet seemed to kick up as they walked, and Lucy could feel an intense amount of magic power in the air. She tried to remember the last time she had felt this much energy, and it had been from her last opponent from Tartaros. Fear clenched in her stomach and she shouted to Jason,

"Quick! Evacuate the people!"

"Huh?!"

But before either could move there was a loud whoosh, and the entire arena was suddenly engulfed in heat by a wave of steam so strong it knocked Lucy and Jason back. Lucy scrambled back up to try to see and hear what was happening, but the smoke was too thick. She vaguely heard the sounds of shouting, but she couldn't make out the words; what she did see was the smoke around the intruder seem to swirl around their hands and in a swift movement they pushed their hands forward, and a blast shot forth toward Skull Millione.

"HE ATTACKED THEM!" The announcer shouted.

Then there was going to be a fight.

"We need to gather up all the wizards that can fight," Lucy shouted to the guards behind her.

Another loud whoosh and the heat around them intensified. Lucy had never felt heat like this before. She looked around and to her bafflement, everything around her seemed to blur around the edges. Was it...melting? Was the building actually melting around them? Heat burned against her skin, and she looked down to see to her horror that her clothes seemed to be melting off her body. Clutching her arms around her front, she heard a maniacal laugh from down in the arena and she looked up as the stranger pulled their hood back…

No. It couldn't be.

"NATSU!" Lucy shouted, her cry strangled by shock.

Somewhere in a non-existent distance she heard the announcer, Mato, and Mr. Yajima, and Jason all shout his name as well.

"Heya Lucy, how've ya been?!" A squeaky voice piped up behind her.

It was hard for her to pull her eyes away from Natsu, but she forced herself to whirl around to face the little blue cat,

"Happy! What-"

"Oh man, Natsu said he just had to come and see the winning Guild fight, but everyone's out of commission now"

Lucy turned back to see all the members of Skull Millione laid out on the ground. If it had been anyone else other than Natsu, she would have been surprised the guild was taken out in one blow, but she'd long given up being surprised at what Natsu could do. He defied any and all expectation. As if he had heard her thoughts, she heard Natsu shout from below in that familiar, throaty voice,

"I can take on any one of you, so COME AT ME!"

The guild members from other teams rushed him and Lucy was overcome with the urge to shout that they were wasting their time, but she just stood there, covering her naked chest as best she could. Flames erupted from Natsu's hands as the Colosseum continued to melt. At seeing the fire dragon's flames, the rest of the guilds turned and ran, shouting, "MONSTER!" while the audience scrambled to get out of the Colosseum and away from the heat.

"Aw, he's overdoing it again," Happy sighed, "That Natsu…"

Lucy was rooted in place, watching him. As he saw the potential for a fight running away, Natsu relaxed his battle stance, the fire fading from his hands and the heat fading from the stadium. She saw his nose twitch. In an instant, his face turned and his eyes snapped into contact with hers, his face still set in a battle frown. Onyx eyes met her own umber, still sharp with the intensity of the fight he started. She had thought so much about how they would meet again, and in all her imagination, she never pictured it this way. He looked older, and his hair was so long; it looked wild, like Leo's. She was biting her lip nervously as his eyebrows raised in surprise and his eyes rounded with realization; she wondered what he was thinking.

She watched his face blossom into the most blinding grin she had ever seen, his eyes closing, cheeks reddening, as he called out to her,

"Yo, it's been such a long time, Lucy!"

Why did her name always have to sound so different in his voice?

Her eyelids closed halfway in tenderness as she said quietly,

"How are you?" Knowing that his dragon hearing would pick it up without her having to shout.

As he smiled, she heard a voice in her head telling her that Fairy Tail wasn't over yet.

Natsu stood in front of the king, Colonel Arcadios, and Princess Hisui, having been brought in by the guards for "disrupting the games". How ridiculous! The games were totally boring until he showed up. He did them a favor by making their lame games a little more lively! He imagined the lecture he was going to get from Gramps for this. All "overdoing it" this and "paperwork" that. It made him grin.

"Acquittal?!" He heard one of the guards exclaim, "as in innocent? Released? Free to go?!"

Alright, that's what I'm talking about! He thought.

"Yes." Princess Hisui breathed between giggles.

"But your majesty," The guard implored, "He made a complete mess of the Grand Magic Games and partially destroyed Domus Flau!"

"Let's just chalk it up to youthful exuberance." The king said with a smile.

"Your majesty!" The guards all exclaimed, with Princess Hisui exploding into more giggles while Colonel Arcadios stood by in annoyance.

The king waved them away, giving Natsu a wink as he was escorted by the guards to the front gate. He exited the castle to see Happy flying up to him. Behind him, he heard the guards shout, "AND DON'T COME BACK", to which he grinned mischievously. Ahead he saw Lucy's feminine form standing below the archway, waiting for him. She looked different, somehow both older and younger at the same time. She was smiling at him like she always did, but it was small and gentle, none of her usual sassy energy.

"Looks like you were acquitted," She said simply.

"Lucy! You came to see us all by yourself; where's the rest of Fairy Tail?"

He watched her eyes fall as she clasped her hands behind her back. There was something hidden in her expression that bothered him as she looked up tentatively,

"That's right; You don't know, do you?"

Natsu exchanged a confused look with Happy.

"Come take a walk with me, guys" She said softly.

Lucy walked ahead of her two friends through the city center, trying to anticipate how this conversation was going to go. Up until Natsu had asked her where Fairy Tail was, she hadn't really thought about whether the news of Fairy Tail's disbandment would reach him, wherever he was. She certainly didn't think that she would be the one to explain it to him. Despite his note saying they'd see her again in about a year, when she saw Natsu at the arena, she realized that at some point she really had given up hope of ever seeing him again. Behind her, she heard Happy whispering,

"Do it, Natsu, you have to."

"Alright, alright," He whispered, and then raised his voice, "Uh-Lucy, what's going on?"

"Hmm?" She asked, trying to remain nonchalant, "nothing, everything is fine,"

"C'mon, Luce," He said, using her nickname and causing her stomach to drop uncomfortably, "I can tell when you're feelin' sad"

She sighed heavily and gestured to a nearby bench for them to sit down. They looked at her expectantly, while she avoided looking Natsu directly in the eye.

"Natsu...the guild...is disbanded. There is no more Fairy Tail."

The information took a moment to process in his mind, but then his jaw dropped and he felt certain he could feel Happy's do the same. Natsu's voice was stilted as he spoke,

"Fairy Tail...broke up?!"

She nodded.

"It happened the day after you guys left."

"But why?"

"I still don't really understand why either. I've never fully wrapped my head around it."

"Where can I find gramps?" Natsu asked through gritted teeth, "I'm gonna bash his brains in; Better yet, I'll rip out what's left of his hair!"

"The master is missing."

Another wave of shock broke over him,

"What about Erza or Gray?! Or any of the others?!"

"Everyone just went their own, separate ways"

Betrayal was the only way he could describe how he felt. The guild was his family. His only family, now that Igneel really was gone. How could they let this happen? How could Lucy let this happen? She had always talked about how proud she was to be in Fairy Tail, and anytime he or the others lost sight of what was important, her loyalty brought them back together again. How could she let him have no family to come back to?

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!" He shouted, "EVERYONE WAS JUST OKAY WITH THE GUILD BREAKING UP LIKE THAT?!"

"I wonder…" Lucy began through her shrouded eyes, but Natsu continued over her,

"EVEN IF GRAMPS SAID THE GUILD WAS DISBANDED EVERYONE COULD HAVE JUST COME BACK TOGETHER ANYWAY! LAXUS COULD HAVE TAKEN OVER AS MASTER!"

"Do you really have the right to say that, Natsu?" Lucy's voice was low and sharp.

Her tone stopped him short. He could only look at her dark expression, a dumbfounded expression on his face.

"After all, you didn't ever think of the guild, did you? You didn't discuss it with anyone when you just went off on you own journey."

Natsu may have been self-centered, but he wasn't stupid. He knew she had meant to say that he didn't discuss it with her when he went on his journey. He felt bad about that, he really did, but had somehow hoped he wouldn't actually have to address that with her. He had hoped when he came back, everything would just go back to how it was. But there was no Fairy Tail, and without that he wasn't sure how to get things back to normal between them. He was saved having to respond when she raised her head to look up at the sky, putting a weak smile on her face that didn't reach her eyes. She said,

"I'm sorry. You and Happy probably had a lot on your minds. I'm just saying everyone else did the same thing you did, so don't be too mad at them, just let them be. There's nothing to be done about it. We all have our own paths to follow now."

She had tried to backpedal, but Natsu had seen a darkness and a seriousness in her that he had never seen before. How could she be so indifferent to the loss of the guild? He looked down at Happy to see a concerned expression on his face and knew that he had seen it too.

"Come on, you guys," Lucy said, standing up, "I'll show you to my place"

And then she smiled again and it was more like it used to be, and Natsu held a bit of hope that he could fix whatever was wrong.

Lucy opened the door to her apartment as Natsu and Happy rushed in ahead of her, eliciting an affectionate sigh.

"WHOA, this is your new place, Lucy?!" Natsu said in an impressed tone, looking around. This place was much bigger than her old apartment had been. Significantly more expensive too.

"So you've been living in Crocus this whole time?" Happy asked as he wandered around.

"Well, it is close to my workplace. You guys probably don't have anywhere to stay, so I'll let you crash here on the couch."

In an instant, they were both on their knees, bowing furiously and repeating choruses of, "Praise you, angel!" and, "Our God, Lucy!", giving her a familiar twitch of annoyance in her left eye.

"Yeah, yeah, just don't you dare damage anything, and do NOT set foot in my bedroom, 'kay?"

She thought of her the map and twinged, thinking she didn't want Natsu to know how hard she worked to keep track of everyone. She especially didn't want him to see the picture of him and Happy with the check marks underneath. Her face got hot at that thought. She was pulled back to reality to see Happy scratching her wooden walls with his claws.

"WHAT DID I JUST FUCKING SAY, STUPID CAT?!"

Happy turned around sheepishly, sheathing his claws and giggling.

Natsu had thrown his cloak off, so that he was only wearing one of his open vests, revealing his bare chest beneath. Lucy saw bandages wrapped around his middle and several on his arms as well, including one big one encompassing his right bicep and elbow. Her anger at him softened a little.

"Natsu, sit down on the couch and I'll clean those injuries. Then you guys can take a bath and I'll bandage them back up."

"Aw, really, Luce? Thanks a million!" Natsu grinned as he complied, folding himself onto the couch in a cross legged position and shirking off his vest. Lucy went and grabbed a first aid kit from the bathroom. She sat on the coffee table in front of him and started with the small ones on his left arm. They were just cuts, mostly looking like they'd be gone in a few days, so she just washed them with water, then swabbed some antiseptic over them. He leaned back against the back of the couch and closed his eyes, wincing at the sting. It seemed weird to her, when she had seen him endure countless attacks and beatings, more pain than most would feel in their lifetime, but he still winced at antiseptic. He was only human, after all. He told her not to worry about the one on his right arm, as it was just a sunburn he had covered for protection.

"Okay, time for the big one, then," She said, turning to the one on his abdomen, "How'd this happen, anyway?"

She smiled as he and Happy recounted to her a tale of some monster they had slain to protect a village in exchange for enough money to fund their travels. Happy swore Natsu would have been monster chow if he hadn't swooped in and saved him, which he vehemently denied. She unwrapped the haphazard bandages to reveal a big, healed over gash that had actually had to be stitched up crudely. It was healed well, the line bright red, but fused back together. She wondered if it was Happy's work or if Natsu himself had done the stitching. Either way, the stitches needed to come out so the healing could be complete.

"I think these need to come out, Natsu." She said, not sure if he'd want to do it right then.

"Well, yank 'em out then. I figured it was almost time anyway, but I was gonna leave em in until after I took on the clowns at the Grand Magic Games, give me a little extra insurance, ya know."

He screwed up his face as she took a tiny pair of scissors and delicately cut the strings, using tweezers to gently tug them out. Some fell out on their own as she touched them, another sign they were more than ready to come out. Once they were all gone, she washed the area and used the antiseptic again. She put the first aid kit aside, knowing she'd need it again to rebandage him after their bath.

"Luce, what about this one?" Natsu said, pointing to a small bandage on his cheek.

"Oh sorry, here," She said, reaching out and putting one hand behind his head to steady him as she removed the bandage and repeated the steps for the last cut. As she finished, she ran her hand through his now long, shaggy hair.

"You're starting to look like Gajeel there, Natsu" Lucy chuckled, ruffling his locks.

He grumbled, running his own hand through it too.

"It's been driving me nuts, but I don't trust Happy to cut it."

"I don't blame you," she replied, "Want me to call Cancer to cut it for you?"

"OH, that's right! The crab guy can cut it! Yeah, go for it!"

She called Cancer forth, and in a matter of minutes, Natsu's hair was back to the way it had always been, a spiky pink crown around his head. Lucy was almost sad to see it go. She rather liked his hair longer, it made him look….different. Natsu's sigh of relief once he was no longer encumbered by that mane made her smile as she thanked Cancer and let him fade back into the spirit realm. Natsu and Happy wasted no time in running the bath and hopping in. A giant pile of suds surrounded them, and steam filling the room. They left the door open, a sure sign that, despite their year apart, they were still far too comfortable with one another. Lucy noticed with slight curiosity that he left the bandages on his right arm as they bathed.

"This feels so good," Natsu groaned as he sank below the hot water.

"Don't you wanna come join us, Lucy?" Happy mewled.

"LIKE HELL!" She shouted, her face turning a bright red.

While they bathed, she went to the kitchen and started putting together some food for them. If there was one thing of which she could be sure, it's that they would be hungry. They were always hungry. She tossed carrots, leeks, and other vegetables into a pot with broth and let it simmer on the stove while she sliced a loaf of bread. She heard the plop sound as the plug was removed from the tub and water slosh as Natsu stood up.

"Hey Natsu," She called over her shoulder, "I can wash the clothes you were wearing if you want. Do you have something else to wear, or should I have Virgo bring you something?"

"I've got another pair of pants, but it'd be great if you could wash the other stuff."

"No problem" She said easily.

She added fish to the stew last because it wouldn't take long to cook. She heard shuffling, and when she turned around, Natsu was back on the couch in his other pants and no shirt, a towel draped over his shoulders, waiting for her to rebandage him. She left the stew simmering on the stove and went back to sit in front of him, taking out the roll of bandages and fixing up the ones on his left arm.

"Stew's cooking; we can eat as soon as you're patched up"

He grinned again,

"Thanks, Luce, it smells amazing!"

"Yeah, since when do you know how to cook?" Happy teased, flying about the room, "I thought all you knew how to do was eat."

"Watch it, cat!" She warned.

She had Natsu sit up straight so she could reach around his middle and wrap bandages around the big cut. It was mostly healed, but it was probably best to keep it wrapped up just for protection. Lastly she reached forward for the cut on his cheek, but he grabbed her hand before she could put a bandage on it.

"I think that one's fine"

"O...kay." Lucy said, lowering her hand. For some reason, her heart rate had increased, and she was sure with his stupid dragon senses he could tell, "Anyway, why don't we have something to eat, and you guys can tell me all about what you've been up to this past year?"

Natsu and Happy were at the table quicker than she could have imagined possible, and she chuckled as she went back to the kitchen to ladle the stew into bowls for the three of them. She set the bowls in front of them, and they wasted no time in digging in. After several spoonfuls, Natsu looked up in curiosity.

"This stew…" He started, "Is it…"

"Mira's recipe?" Lucy finished for him, "Yeah, it is."

He nodded. Lucy didn't want to linger on that fact too much.

"So what have the great Natsu and Happy been doing to keep them so out of loop, huh?" She asked with a smile.

Happy launched into telling her all about their adventures and Natsu exclaimed and interjected, and in a matter of minutes they were laughing like old times. One of Lucy's neighbors hollered at them to keep it down but they paid it no mind. Despite all the anger, resentment, fear, and abandonment, Lucy was still so happy to see them.

It's been so long since I've felt like this.

Natsu couldn't sleep. He lay on the couch, a blanket Lucy had insisted he take laying over him, despite the fact that he never got cold. He was staring up at the ceiling, thinking about...gods, thinking about everything. He reflected on his best friend's behavior throughout the day, and looking back, he thought it could have been worse. She had seemed happy to see him at first, but...reserved. Like she wasn't sure he wasn't going to disappear at a moment's notice. He supposed he deserved that. Then she had seemed angry with him. The way she had said those words. You didn't ever think of the guild, did you? She had never spoken like that to him before. But after that, she was as kind as ever, letting them stay with her, feeding them, caring for his wounds, cutting his hair, washing his clothes. They had spoken, talked, and laughed late into the night, until she had arose, looking very tired, and said she was going to take a bath of her own and go to bed. With one last reminder not to go into her room, she disappeared behind her curtain and they were alone. He didn't get it. When he was mad, he attacked people. Simple. He wished if Lucy was mad at him, she'd just hit him. He knew Happy was comfortably stretched out on a big cushion next to him. He was pretty sure he wasn't out yet because he didn't hear the steady breathing associated with sleep.

"Happy..." He began.

"Aye…"

"Is the guild really gone?"

"I can't believe that it is."

Neither could Natsu. He'd get everything back the way it had been. Starting with his best friend.

"Only one thing to do then," He said, sitting up, letting the pillow and blanket fall to the floor, giving Happy a devilish grin, "Let's go draw on Lucy's face while she's sleeping!"

"I've got the pens right here!" Happy replied, brandishing pens stolen off Lucy's writing desk.

They snuck into her room, silently pulling the curtains aside as they crept forward. Natsu was sure an innocent prank would help remind Lucy how much fun they used to have. The room was dark, but moonlight from the window right above her bed illuminated the room enough to see. Lucy was fast asleep and Natsu grinned,

"She dares to sleep with us in the house?" he whispered to Happy, "She should know better by now."

"Be careful not to wake her, Natsu!" Happy warned.

He moved closer to the bed, but before he leaned forward to scribble a mustache on her upper lip, something caught his eye. He straightened up and turned to the wall across from her bed. Walking up and getting a closer look, he gasped, and heard Happy do the same. On it was hanging a giant map of Fiore, covered in hand-drawn lines, push pins, red dots, newspaper articles, and photographs of people in the guild. There was a photo of Wendy and Carla next to the city where Lamia Scale's headquarters were, a photo of Gray and Juvia up in the north but with no definite location, one of Alzack and Bisca near Hargeon, photos of Erza and Jellal connected by a red line with a question mark. The notes were incredibly detailed. Information on sightings, the dates they were seen, what they had done. She had been searching for everyone. This whole time. Natsu looked at Happy and saw tears in the corners of his eyes. He shot him a questioning look before he sprouted wings and flew up to point at something on the right hand side.

Natsu's eyes scanned over to Happy's point and saw it. A photo of himself and Happy. He remembered the day Lucy had taken it. They'd been fishing at the river and had caught the biggest fish they'd ever seen. Lucy had acted like she wasn't impressed, and they had to pester her so much to get her to take a photo of them proudly holding their catch. But she had kept it, and here it was, with a piece of paper plastered below it crudely titled, "Days without them", and he didn't need to count to know how many days she had checked off. He didn't want to see anymore. How could he have not realized how much they meant to her?

He turned to look at her sleeping form, and she looked so peaceful. Her hair swirled around her heart-shaped face, and he could see that in her hands she clutched her spirit keys, which confused him. He'd slept around her so much in their time together; in hotels when they were out on jobs, on the ground when they were traveling, the times he and Happy would insist on sleeping in her bed with her in her old apartment, and never once had he ever seen her sleep with her keys. He nearly jumped out of skin when he heard her voice,

"Didn't I tell you to stay out of my room?"

Her eyes opened sleepily and he all of a sudden felt very self-conscious. Happy had flown out of the room the second she spoke, doubtlessly fearing the wrath of Lucy.

"Lucy…" He said, gesturing behind him, "What is all this?"

"None of your business," she said, pulling herself into an upright position.

Her voice had that dark edge to it again that made him so wary.

"Earlier, when you said everyone had gone their own ways, you sounded like you didn't have any hope," he felt himself getting angry now, "that you didn't know or care what had happened to them."

"You don't know anything about how I feel, Natsu, don't act like you do," She warned him, standing up from her bed.

"If you cared at all, why did you come here?!" He shouted at her, knowing she didn't deserve it, but unable to stop himself, the stubborn tightening of her eyes and jaw spurring him on, "How could you just let them all go, start a new job, a new life without them?! How could you leave them all behind?!"

"THEY'RE THE ONES WHO LEFT ME BEHIND!" She shouted at him, tears escaping the corners of her eyes, her hand pointing accusedly at him, "You wouldn't know because you couldn't have been bothered to be there, but not ONE of them asked me to come with them. Not Erza, not Gray, not Wendy. They all left. And you don't have the right to criticize them or me. You're the worst of all. You were my partner, and you left me."

She sank back down to sit on her bed, burying her head in her hands. So she had said it. She wasn't wrong, but it wasn't fair, she didn't understand how he felt.

"It wasn't like that, Lucy. After Igneel...I just needed to do something. I lost my father."

Her head snapped back up,

"I lost my father too. Did you forget that? I never shut you out. I didn't leave you. I even watched myself die in my own arms and never took it out on anyone else."

That memory stung him as well. Watching Lucy die, even if it was the future Lucy, had done strange things to his psyche.

"But to lose him to Tartaros...he sacrificed himself for all of us." Natsu said, more quietly this time.

"I lost people in that battle too, Natsu!"

The sorrow in her voice gave him pause. What was she talking about? No one in the guild had fallen in that battle. The resentful look in her eyes was like nothing he had felt before. She didn't wait long enough for him to ask what she meant,

"Oh that's right, you don't know about that either because you never asked. You didn't even wait around after the battle long enough to find out. Didn't you wonder how it was I saved all of you from Mard Geer's Alegria spell? How weak, pathetic, little Lucy managed to survive and counteract a spell from one of the most powerful demons of Zeref? Of course you didn't," She spat those last words out at him, and he flinched.

Natsu was afraid to ask, but he looked evenly at her and spoke slowly,

"What did you do, Lucy?"

Her face screwed up again and she chomped on her trembling lip. Natsu quelled an urge to tell her to stop or she'd hurt herself. She took a deep breath before she spoke,

"I lost Aquarius. I snapped her key in half and banished her from the human world for eternity, so I could summon the Celestial Spirit King to save you. I will NEVER see her again. My oldest friend, my most treasured link to my mother, the last of my family…"

Her voice cracked on the last word and devolved into sobs. That explained it then, why she was clutching her keys in her sleep. The two of them were different. He had found a new family at a very young age, and while the loss of his father pained him deeper than he thought possible, he had all of Fairy Tail alive and well as his family still, even when they weren't a guild. Lucy had grown up in a different place, without the guild to raise her, and even though her childhood was not a happy one, she had lost every single thing that was good about it. Her mother, her father after they had just started getting along again, Michelle, and now Aquarius. He understood the darkness in her expression and the sadness in her eyes.

"Lucy...I'm sorry," He said gently, "I didn't know."

"You didn't care to find out." She said between sobs.

"That's not true," he shook his head, "I just wasn't thinking; I didn't think"

There was a sound like a wind chime as one of Lucy's keys glowed and before him materialized Leo, looking first concerned at Lucy, then angry at him.

"What did you do?" Leo snapped at him.

"What?! I didn't do anything!" Natsu defended himself.

"It's fine, Leo," Lucy interrupted, sucking in her tears, rubbing her temples as though she had a headache.

For some reason, it annoyed him, Leo running to her rescue. As though Lucy would ever need to be rescued from him. He was her best friend! Just because they argued didn't mean Leo had to butt in.

"It's not fine; he's coming with me" Leo said darkly, grabbing Natsu's arm and dragging him out of the room.

"HEY! What's the big idea?!" He exclaimed.

He vaguely heard Lucy's protests as Leo pulled him through the main room and then out onto the balcony, letting go of him with a push, and sizing him up.

"Geez, Leo, good to see you too after a year." Natsu said sarcastically.

"What do you think you're doing?" Leo said, crossing his arms, "Upsetting her like that?"

"I wasn't tryin' to upset her, I just...I don't know." He finished, defeated, "I just don't understand why she's so mad at me."

"Are you an idiot? She thought you were her best friend."

"I am her best friend!" He insisted.

"Well you've got a funny way of showing it." Leo said, putting a finger to the bridge of his glasses in annoyance, "Do you know what she thought when you left? She thought you left her behind because she wasn't strong enough to be your partner."

"What?" Natsu said, dumbstruck, "How could she think that?"

But Leo didn't answer his question directly, instead, he ranted further,

"After she gave everything she had to fight Mard Geer and Jackal. She summoned three Celestial Spirits at once, she broke a Celestial Spirit key and lost her oldest friend, she summoned the Celestial Spirit king using her own magic and then somehow still managed to cast the Urano Metria spell to defeat Jackal. And she thought that despite all that, you still didn't think she was strong enough to keep around."

"I've always believed in Lucy, you know that!"

Leo pushed Natsu again as his tone grew sharper and more ragged,

"She begged Capricorn and I to train her to her limits in the hope that one day she'd be strong enough that you would want her as your partner again. I broke her bones with my own hands because she willed us to never go easy on her, and I can't disobey my master. I bruised her and bloodied her every damn day teaching her to fight, teaching her new magic and how to use it, and she never once gave up, never complained, and never backed down."

Natsu put his hands over his ears, not wanting to hear anymore. He pictured Lucy on the ground, bleeding, in pain, pushing herself up again. Although the thought hurt, it was easy to picture. That had always been her manner, to do what she thought she had to with determination. But she had thought she had to do this, because of him. That thought he didn't like at all. Leo was looking at him with a raised eyebrow now, as if to say, "Not so easy to hear, is it?" Natsu didn't want to argue anymore. It was in his nature to act, not to talk.

"I'll make it right, Leo. I'm not sure how, yet, but I'll make it right."

Leo gave him another once-over before nodding. Natsu turned away to go back into the apartment.

"Oh, and Natsu," Leo said to his retreating back, "It is good to see you again."

"You too, buddy."

Natsu didn't need to look to tell Leo had evaporated back through his gate as he walked back into the living room. Happy fluttered up and landed on his shoulder.

"Is all that stuff really true, Natsu?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah, Happy, it's true."

"Lucy...she's really something, isn't she?"

"She sure is. Do you want to sleep in her room tonight?"

Happy nodded, and they went into Lucy's room once again. She was laying back down again, her arm thrown over her eyes. He didn't think she was asleep yet.

"What did Leo tell you?" She said, groaning in embarrassment.

"Nothing, just that I shouldn't yell at you. And that I'm a jerk."

"You are a jerk."

"He definitely is." Happy agreed.

A dry chortle came from Lucy's mouth.

"Can I tell you how sorry I am?" Natsu asked, still standing a few feet from the bed.

"Just get in, you two" Lucy said, throwing the covers open and sliding over close to the wall to make room.

"Alright!" Happy said, flying over and landing right on top of the covers and nuzzling in the crook of Lucy's leg.

Natsu swallowed heavily and hesitated. For some reason, this felt different to him. He actually felt...nervous? Natsu didn't get nervous. Especially not around Lucy. His moment of hesitation was broken when she gestured him in again,

"Come on...Natsu..."

Why did his name always have to sound so different in her voice? He climbed under the covers. She faced away from him, toward the wall, and he faced her. Being so close, he was surrounded by her scent, so much stronger to him because of his dragon senses. Although the superficial smells of soap and shampoo had changed over the year, her true smell was the same. She smelled like...his scarf. The same kind of scent he associated with warmth and familiarity. When it normally would have calmed him, at the moment it was causing a strange increase in his pulse. He couldn't believe she thought he didn't want her for a partner. He had left because of Igneel, nothing else. He had spent so many years with one goal in mind: Find Igneel. Once that goal was gone, Natsu didn't know what he was doing, what his life meant any more. He needed to figure that out. How would she feel if she knew that when he decided what his life was going to be about now, he had thought of her, of their partnership, of seeing her again? He had come back for Fairy Tail, yes, but over the past two years, Lucy had become Fairy Tail to him. If he had come back to find Fairy Tail intact, but Lucy gone, he would have searched to the ends of Earthland to find her. After seeing that wall, how much it meant to her to have Fairy Tail back together again...he was going to make that happen. For both of them.