All rights to Fairy Tail belong to Hiro Mashima.
He wasn't too certain what happened.
One moment, he was fighting a war. The second, he was trekking through some random forest. He couldn't be there, he had the priests to protect. He dragged his exhausted body into the forest, trying to keep himself awake. It looked like it was morning where he was, which was odd because the last time he checked, he was fighting in the night. His the clothing for warriors given by the feudal lord was tattered and when he looked down, he noticed something.
His sword was gone.
Damn.
He knew he felt less pressure on his waist.
He was about to go back and search for his sword, but he sensed movement near him, so he stood still. He slowly made his way through the forest towards the sound, ready to eliminate any potential threat, even in his fatigued state. But what he saw was much different than that.
It was a girl, one about his age, with blonde hair and beautiful brown eyes. She looked like she was carefully harvesting something from the ground, smiling as she dug up a plant and placed it in her basket. In his opinion, she was dressed very weirdly, in clothes he had never seen the girls back home wear. She wore trousers, which struck him as odd because only men wore those, and girls wore traditional dresses.
Once he saw the girl finish her picking, he decided that it was the best time to leave, wanting to find his belongings as soon as possible. But that was when he felt a sharp pain in his side, and had to hold on to the tree with one hand for support. His feet accidentally stepped on a branch, and he cursed himself for being so careless. He knew that the blonde girl was alerted of his presence, but he couldn't find the energy to look up at her. He finally fell to the ground, exhausted and hungry.
He heard the girl gasp and run over to him, turning him over and taking the upper half of his body in her arms. She placed her warm hand on his sweat-drenched cheek and tried to gently shake him awake.
"Hey, stay with me, okay?" He barely heard her because his mind was already going blank. He stole one gaze up at her and met her worried eyes before letting the darkness consume him. The last thing he remembered was being dragged carefully through the forest.
He snapped his eyes opened when he realized that he had been unconscious. He made a rash decision and decided to sit up quickly, eliciting a biting pain in his ribs, forcing him back down. He took a couple of deep breaths before trying again, only slower this time. He rested his back on the wall behind him as he took in his surroundings. The wooden floor seemed to be the only thing that was familiar to him, since he had some of the same flooring where he was from. However, everything else seemed completely foreign to him. He rested his hand on the bed he was laying on. It was plush, unlike the cots he usually slept on. Even most of the nobles did not sleep on beds like these to his knowledge, and definitely not ones as high as this one. He tensed his muscles and anticipated any incoming attacks. Unfamiliar places were dangerous, of course.
Upon closer inspection, he saw that he had no shirt on and that his forehead was wrapped. There was also a towel and some water in a pot next to his bedside. It seemed that whoever took him to their house was taking care of him.
His eyes narrowed as he heard the door open, bracing himself for any means of attack. However, he slowly loosened his muscles when he noticed that standing in the doorway was the same girl who he saw in the forest. Her clothing was now more familiar to him because she wore a silver kimono with golden trimmings and a white obi. Her golden hair was made into a bun with two strands framing her face. In her hands was a wooden tray with two cups that had some sort of steaming liquid in them.
When she locked eyes with him, he saw her smile, which made his eyes widened. By the way she looked, he assumed she was a priestess or something of that class. Most people with that high of a rank disregarded people like him. But he also couldn't help but notice that her smile was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen.
"You're awake. Thank goodness." She said as she knelt next to him on the bed as she set the tray down on the floor. She looked up to meet his eyes, but he quickly averted his, knowing that it was disrespectful to look at people with high social status in the eye. He smelt a beautiful aroma and felt hot steam on his face. When he turned to see what it was, he saw that she was holding a mug up to him, filled with tea. "I thought that maybe you would like something hot to drink. I hope you don't mind green tea." She said sheepishly. He didn't want her to hold the mug up for him forever, so he quickly took it from her and bowed his head respectfully in thanks. Examining the cup, he noticed that it was not the usual porcelain that most royals had, but it was ceramic. He knew there was a chance that the liquid could be poisoned, but the woman just saved his life, so he could assume that she could be trusted.
He took one sip of the tea offered to him, and he suddenly became fully aware of his fatigue. The tea tasted amazing. It wasn't too sweet, which is what green tea should be like, and it had just the right amount of bitterness. He drank it greedily, but not too fast so that he wouldn't burn his esophagus. Once he finished, he let out a small sigh of content, but then scolded himself once again for being so careless. Warriors like him were supposed to hide emotions such as happiness and pain. But, there was something about this girl that was so...disarming.
"You must be really tired. From the clothes you were wearing, I could tell that you weren't from around here." She said as she stood up and put the tray with the two cups on her desk. Still not looking at her, he nodded. He already concluded that he wasn't home, but the way this woman was dressed didn't really differ from how the women he knew dressed. However, what she said next made him raise an eyebrow. "I'm sorry for the attire, I have to work in an hour."
He did a quick once over at her. There was absolutely nothing wrong with her attire. Maybe she was referring to not wearing the most expensive fabric in the presence of another, but that shouldn't matter when she is just in front of a warrior like him. And work? It was true, some women worked in his village, but they were mostly the middle class and they worked as waitresses. It could be different for where they were now.
(Remember, not supposed to be Japan, but old Fiore)
"Where..." he croaked, but then gathered his voice. "where are my clothes?" He asked stoically. He hoped he hadn't sounded rude.
"Oh, I washed them. They were pretty dirty. They're in the dryer now." She said as she sat on the floor again.
What is a dryer? He thought, but didn't vocalize it and just nodded.
"So...I'm Lucy." She said, sticking her hand out for him to shake. "What's your name?" He stared at her hand with wide eyes, and she thought she did something wrong.
In his mind, he was wondering if she really wanted to shake his hand. He had no right to touch a noble, but it also seemed very disrespectful to not take it. He gently shook her hand and then got out of bed, much to her protest, and knelt on the floor next to her, bowing his head.
"Hello, Lady Lucy, it is an honor to meet you." He said. She laughed nervously.
"T-there's no need to bow. And...your name?" She said.
"Whatever you would like, Lady Lucy." He said, his head still bowed.
Okay, this guy was weird. Lucy's eyebrows furrowed, but she knew that none of these attempts were to woo her. There was something so genuine about the way he spoke. It was almost if he wasn't from this time.
"I would like your real name." She pushed with a smile. His head raised, but she also noticed that he didn't look her directly in the eye.
"My name is Natsu Dragneel. At your humble service, milady." He said as he bowed once more.
Lucy stood up. "Well, Natsu Dragneel, would you like anything to eat?"
Natsu was about to decline, since he had been trained to go without food for days. However, something in the girl's facial features was hopeful that he stayed. "If it is not too much trouble for you, milady."
"And you don't have to call me that either. Just call me Lucy." She said as she led him down a hall. He concealed the limp in his right leg, making sure to show no weakness. His ribs still hurt like crazy and his head was spinning, probably from the post-effects of exhaustion.
"No, it is improper to speak to someone of a higher status so casually." Natsu said as he stared at the ground. Lucy turned to look at him, and then became blatantly aware of how tall he was. It was true that he wasn't as tall as Rogue, but he was still a good five inches taller than her. She also took notice that he still had no shirt on, making her blush.
She forced herself to look up at his face. "I'm not anyone of higher status or importance." She said quickly. Hopefully he didn't recognize her as Jude Heartfilia's daughter. But why else would he refer to her as a "higher status"?
"You are not? But the way you dress is like one of a Lady." He stated. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief. So he didn't recognize her as Lucy Heartfilia, huh?
"A Lady?" Lucy asked. She then burst out laughing. "You really aren't from around here..." She said as she started to walk to the front again.
If Natsu wasn't so good at controlling his emotions, she would have surely seen his red cheeks.
When he exited the door of her house, he came to a room that was more familiar to him. Though it did have a more Asian touch to it, it looked like some of the restaurants from where he was from. However, there was something dangling from the ceiling scattered throughout the room, and it looked like it was concealing a light. Natsu was confused, what kind of lanterns were those? He also looked at the front door, and saw that it was glass. No doors back home were made of glass, all were made of wood or rock.
"Hey Natsu, you can take a seat!" Lucy called from another room. Natsu was still a bit wary, being in an unnatural area, but he supposed that he could trust Lucy, so he took a seat on one of the cushions near a kotastu. He sat on his knees with his back straight like he was taught. His eyes then landed on the drawings on the walls and got up to examine them.
The drawings depicted an ancient battle, one that he was familiar with. It was a battle between his village and a rebel group that called themselves Tartaros. He wasn't in this battle, of course, since it took place about ten years before he was born, but his teacher Master Makarov was in the battle, and happened to be one of the only survivors. Whoever this girl was, she had a deep respect for the arts.
"Are you interested in Fiorian history as well?" A voice asked from behind him. He turned to see Lucy there, a tray in her hands as she sat down at a table and started spreading out the food.
"Yes, very much so. It amazes how much people had sacrificed to save the village." He said, nodding at the drawing. "These drawings are impeccable, did you create them?" He asked as he knelt down next to her.
"Oh no, trust me, I'm a very bad artist." She said. "I had a friend of mine create these for me. But I'll tell them your compliment." She said as she handed him a cup of water.
He looked down at the meal she had created for him, and was amazed at the beautiful display of color. His mouth almost watered at the aroma it was giving, even though it was seafood. He then took a side glance at Lucy, who was pouring a dark substance into a small ceramic bowl. He couldn't believe he was being showed this much kindness, from a noble at that. This girl was certainly...
Weird.
However, he knew that he had to regain the energy that he had lost. He put a hand over his heart and then bowed down to touch his head to the table, muttering a few prayers before picking up his chopsticks lifting up a piece of sushi and putting it in his mouth. An explosion of flavors erupted inside of him. It was one of the most delicious things he had ever consumed. It was much more refined and flavorful than the usual rice porridge he was given where he was. He finished chewing and was about to take another bite, when Lucy's voice stopped him.
"You...blessed your food the old Fiorian way, didn't you?" She asked, as if it was the strangest thing in the world. He put his chopsticks down respectfully, and then turned to her, finally meeting her eye. He didn't see anything wrong with it, considering how Lucy was talking to him as if he was her equal.
"Yes, is that wrong?" He asked, wondering if he had offended her in any way. He also mulled over the fact that she had said 'old'. The tradition wasn't gone, and almost everyone in his village blessed their food like that. Maybe she was referring to how long that tradition had been around. He didn't know how long though, since he was never educated on the topic.
"Oh no! Of course not! I just...don't see many people doing it nowadays." She said as she copied his actions to bless her own food.
"Your people don't, milady? Where I am from, everyone blesses their food like that." Natsu stated as he took another bite of the sushi. After he chewed and swallowed, he turned his whole body towards her and bowed so his forehead was almost in her lap. "I also graciously thank you for this wonderful meal. I have never in my life tasted anything so exquisite, Lady Lucy."
"O-oh, well...thank you." She said as she blushed. "And like I told you, there is not need to call me anything like that. We're friends, aren't we?" Lucy asked.
"Friends?" Natsu asked, tilting his head to the side.
Lucy could feel her cheeks flare as she realized her mistake. "O-oh, u-um, sorry! I mean, I thought we were, but it's totally cool if you don't think so considering we just met and all and-" She was cut of when her hands were lifted by two rough ones and were placed to Natsu's forehead. She could feel his warm breath on the tips of her fingers. His eyes were closed and he looked as if he was concentrating. He then lowered her hands into her lap, still keeping his hold on them.
He then gave her a smile, the first smile she had ever seen on him. It was reserved, yet very genuine. "Lady Lucy, it would be my absolute honor to be your friend." Lucy smiled back, happy that she had made a new friend. Natsu went back to his food and smiled at her before he took another bite of the food she had prepared for him.
"Anyway Natsu, are you feeling better? Would you like me to take you to the hospital or call the doctor?" She asked.
"Oh no, there is no need to fetch a doctor. I am feeling just fine. You have already done so much for me." He said as he finished his last sip of water.
"It's really no trouble, I could just call them on my pho-" Before she could finish her sentence, the door opened, revealing Yukino.
"Lucy, I'm ready to wo-rk?" The last part of her sentence came off as a question, the reason being that there was a shirtless man having some food with her best friend. The man seemed to be very alerted by her presence, shown by how his muscles tensed.
"Ah, Yukino." Lucy said as she tore her gaze away from Natsu. She then looked at the time on the clock and gasped. It was almost time for the restaurant to open. "Oh no, I still need to get all of the preparations done in the kitchen." She said as she took Natsu's hand and led him back towards her room. He followed along aimlessly, just focused on their intertwined hands and making sure his slight limp was invisible. "I'm so sorry Natsu. I shouldn't have kept you awake longer than you should have been. You can rest on my bed until you're up to full health. If you need anything, you can come get me. I'll be in the kitchen." She said as she gently pushed him on the bed and covered him with blankets.
Natsu was in such a daze and everything was happening so fast that he didn't even notice that Lucy was already out the door. He felt a little cold without Lucy's presence, but he knew that she was busy at the moment, so it was no time for him to be selfish and go to her. He pushed some of the blankets off of him and swung his legs over the bed, looking around the strange room once again.
Something on the wall caught his eye. There was a sword with a black hilt and a silver scabbard hanging above her desk. He walked over towards it and pulled it off the wall, drawing out the blade from it's sheath. The sword was light, and it was finely crafted. It was definitely made by a master sword smith, and kept in brilliant condition. This was something that could keep him occupied, but he couldn't take from Lucy like that, not after how much she had done for him. However, it wasn't like he was stealing from her, he was just borrowing it to sharpen his own skills. Since he had lost his own sword, he needed to keep his teachings fresh in his mind until he found it. He could not risk being unarmed if an enemy happened to attack, especially with Lucy around.
Natsu's mind then traveled to his friends who were fighting on the front lines for his village. He didn't know where he was, or how he was going to get back home, but he needed to make sure he was ready so his friends could depend on him to have their back's.
With that thought, Natsu placed the sword back in it's scabbard and quietly went out the strange window of Lucy's, whose design took him five minutes to open.
"So Lucy," chirped Yukino, and Lucy knew she was in trouble. "who was that man you were talking to before hours?" Yukino asked in a sweet voice. Remember what she said about Yukino being one of the sweetest girls alive? While Lucy still stands by that statement, it doesn't mean that the silver-haired girl doesn't like to indulge in a little prying herself.
Lucy groaned. "He's just a friend, Yukino." Lucy said as she got to work on the dish of the first customer of that day.
"I see. And why did this 'friend' of yours have his shirt off?" Yukino asked, and Lucy could detect a hint of slyness in her voice.
"I was just washing it for him! Look Yuki, I'm just letting him rest here because he's injured. The pour man could barely walk this morning."
Yukino's expression changed into one of worry. "Was he alright? Did he have anybody with him?" She asked.
"From what I can tell, no. But I should ask in case there is anyone looking for him." Lucy said.
"So, what's his name?" Yukino asked before she got another order from the waiters.
"It's Natsu, Natsu Dragneel." Something seemed to click in Yukino's mind.
"I've heard that surname before! Rogue and I went to the Ancient Fiorian Museum of History and Culture three days ago and our tour guide said that one of the paintings depicted a warrior with the last name Dragneel. I think his first name started with a Z, but I'm not sure." Yukino said.
"Maybe an ancestor? Natsu seems very well versed in the old manners, so it wouldn't be much of a surprise." Lucy said as she finished her Rainbow Roll and put it on the counter to be delivered. "Rainbow Roll!"
"Well versed in the old manners? Does he call you 'milady' or 'princess' or something like that?" When she saw Lucy's cheeks flare up, she knew she had gotten her answer. "AWWW! That is so cute!" She cooed.
"S-shut up or I'm not paying you!" A flustered Lucy retorted. Yukino just laughed.
Why did she have to get stuck with people who always tormented her?
Hi everyone! Thank you so much for reading today's chapter! If you would like to leave a comment expressing your thoughts, that would be awesome, but you don't have to. I hope everyone is having a very Happy Holidays with their family and/or friends!
I wish everyone a beautiful day/night wherever they are! Okay, bye!