.

.

"He sprinkled me in pixie dust and told me to believe

Believe in him and believe in me

Together we will fly away in a cloud of green

To your beautiful destiny

As we soared above the town that never loved me

I realized I finally had a family

Soon enough we reached Neverland

Peacefully my feet hit the sand

And ever since that day

I am a lost boy from Neverland

Usually hanging out with Peter Pan

And when we're bored we play in the woods

Always on the run from Captain Hook

"Run, run, lost boy, " they say to me

Away from all of reality"

- "Lost Boy", Ruth B.


(:)(A)(:)

Neverland

Chapter Two

(:)(A)(:)


The sand is warm beneath her feet and, only yards away, the sea laps gently at the shore. Palm trees dot the beach, leaves rustling and coconuts clacking the breeze. It is the most tranquil scene she has ever witnessed, but it can't possibly calm the adrenaline burning through her veins – not yet.

She steps forward and reaches out to touch the ridged trunk of a nearby palm, her bare feet sinking into the sand. It feels real beneath her hands. As real as everything else. She looks back at Natsu who is eyeing her with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. "How is this possible?" she breathes. "Are there worlds in all the stars?" She didn't believe him when he said their destination was the second star on the right, thought he was crazy when he flew up towards the heavens instead of over the earth, but the proof is smooth beneath her fingers – warm beneath her toes.

He laces his hands behind his head and shrugs his shoulders. "Don't know. Never really felt the need to find out."

She kneels, feeling the sand warming her knees even through her nightgown. "It's amazing," she breathes, grabbing a handful of sand and letting it sift through her fingers.

Natsu gives her a baffled look. "Yeah, I guess. If sand is your thing."

She pauses, sending him a puzzled look of her own. "What? No, not the sand!" She is amazed by all of it – by the vividness and texture, the depth and complexity of the sounds. She is amazed that she is capable of dreaming up something so wonderful. "Never mind," she says, shaking her head. She doesn't feel like taking the time to explain herself. Besides, she already sees something else of interest coasting along the shoreline. "Oh, are they your friends?"

Natsu looks over his shoulder, stiffening at the sight of the ship cutting through the water. "Ah crap," he mutters, grabbing her hand and hauling her back into his arms. "Time to go!"

She is about to inquire why he is in such a hurry to leave, but as his feet push off the sand she hears the boom of a cannon and – shortly after – the sickening crack of the palm tree she had just been investigating. She yelps, her hold tightening on his neck. "What on Earth–!" she exclaims, shock tightening her body like a bowstring. "They could have killed us!"

Natsu doesn't respond, instead he puts more distance between themselves and the ground. His ascent only slows once they are high above the ship. "Nice try old man!" he crows, seeming far too amused to be healthy considering they were nearly blown to bits. "I think your aim's getting worse!"

On deck she can just barely make out the scowl of an older gentleman shaking his fist up at them. The ornate hat sitting atop his head tells her he is the captain of the vessel below them, but his short stature seems more comical than frightening. "Boy, I'm going to pull you apart limb from limb and feed you to the gator!"

Natsu grins. "Gotta catch me first!" The pirate captain answers back with curses so fowl that Lucy finds herself turning red from embarrassment, but Natsu only laughs and gives him a mocking wave. "See ya later, Captain!" he shouts, flying off and away with a speed that causes the winds whistle to disguise any retort the pirate may have flung after them.

Lucy spots the splintered tree on the beach and shivers. "What a horrible old man!"

Natsu looks down at her, seeming surprised by her evaluation. "Who? Mackorav? Ah, he's not so bad! He's mostly just talk anyway. He's way too scared of crocodiles to get close enough to feed me to one!"

Lucy isn't so convinced. "He sounded very cross with you."

He gives a little laugh – Lucy thinks it sounds guilty. "Yeah... mighta accidentally set fire to his ship a time or two," he says, giving her a sheepish grin.

She raises an eyebrow, beginning to understand why the captain lobbed that cannonball their way. "Or two?"

"Well, yeah," he says, almost defensively. "All the other times we just sunk it."

Lucy remains silent, suddenly feeling lucky that he managed to leave her home intact and undamaged during his short stay.

She looks down at the dense jungle below them, entranced by the way their shadows dance across the tree tops. The island is large enough to be inhabited, but small enough that (from their vantage point) she can view most of it. The only part of the landscape that escapes her curious gaze is hiding behind the single lone mountain sitting proudly at the islands center. The land is wild and untamed – Lucy can see no evidence of civilization. No buildings, no structures – not even a clearing.

So, naturally, she is baffled when Natsu begins to descend – the thick, leafy branches rising up and swallowing them until only pinpricks of sky remain. "I don't understand. I thought we were going to your home?"

Her inquiry is met with an odd look. "Silly Lucy! This is home!" His feet touch the forest floor with more grace than she thought he was capable of (especially with how carelessly he releases her moments later).

She staggers, her knees nearly buckling in surprise as she suddenly finds herself on her own two feet. Feeling the carpet of leaves beneath her toes, she wishes she had thought to have brought her slippers. She gives another, more careful look at her surroundings, but all she sees is a tangle of jungle leaves and thick mossy vines. One tree, obviously long since deceased, stands out as being the grandest. It's smooth bark is as pale as her mother's marble headstone and its trunk is so wide that she thinks, perhaps, her father's study could fit in its base. It is as beautiful as it is haunting.

Natsu takes her hand, leading her closer to massive tree. The smirk he gives her is full of mischief as he pushes aside a particularly large leafed plant and reveals a small hollow at the base of the trunk. "Ready to be a Lost Boy?"

"I'm a girl," she murmurs, too fascinated to be irritated. Her fingers trace the ridged opening, surprised to find the wood smooth and worn – almost polished.

"So?" He asks, seeming genuinely perplexed. "What's that got to do with anything?"

Too much, she thinks. If she were born a boy then her days would be spent with her father learning how to run the family business instead of waiting to be auctioned off to a man with a prolific portfolio and a heavy checkbook. Somehow she knows Natsu won't understand – how could he when he is surrounded by so much freedom and born with the privileges that come with being born a boy?

She quickly changes the subject, fingers picking lazily at the bark. "You really live in a tree?" she asks, curious.

"Well, yeah," he says, as if it were obvious. "Who would want to live in a boring ole' house when you can live in a tree!" When she still looks skeptical, he gives her a nudge. "Go and see for yourself!"

She hesitates, looking down at her white nightgown. Curiosity proves to be worth more than her pristine clothing though, and she soon finds herself kneeling in the dirt and crawling through the opening. She can feel her shoulders brushing against the wood, and suddenly understands how the ridges came to be so smooth.

She expects to be greeted by darkness, but instead finds streams of light filtering in from small holes towards the top of the tree. She stands, brushing the dirt from her knees and stares at the carvings and paintings along the wooden walls in wonder. She hears the echo of laughter bouncing within the large space before being swallowed up by the ancient wood, but when she looks around she can find no source for the sound.

She feels Natsu step beside her. "Pretty neat, huh?"

Lucy nods. It is amazing, but still – "You sleep here? On the ground?" She supposed she shouldn't be too surprised.

"Nah," he says, moving past her. "That's all downstairs!"

Downstairs? Puzzled, she parts her lips to ask but his dimpled grin makes her pause. He brings his foot down in quick succession and Lucy is shocked to find the sound to be wooden and hollow – like the knocking on a door. Shortly after, there is an answering thump from beneath Natsu's feet and he steps aside just as a trap door rises up – wooden and so obvious she doesn't understand how she could have missed it – and reveals a small, blue haired girl no older than twelve.

"Natsu!" Her smile is beaming – adoring. It is the same look Lucy imagines many younger siblings bestow upon their elders. Her hazel eyes meet her's and a simple understanding seems to soften her lips. "Ah, so that's what took you so long." She hops up, and Lucy is surprised to find that – while she is obviously a young girl – she is dressed in boys shorts. "I'm Wendy," she says, offering her hand almost shyly.

It is not the customary way of introducing oneself (not for a woman anyway) but so far nothing about Neverland has been. She shakes her hand gently, if not awkwardly. "It's lovely to meet you. My name is Lucy."

Wendy looks startled – almost awed. "Wow! You talk so pretty!"

Lucy flushes, not entirely sure if she should feel pleased or embarrassed. She decides it would be best to respond humbly regardless. "Ah, thank you..."

Natsu grabs her hand, excitedly pulling her towards the hatch. "Come on! There's a whole lot of other people to meet! Besides, I'm starving!"

Natsu has enough courtesy (surprisingly) to let her go down first, though his manners are short lived. The moment her toes touch the dirt floor he jumps down behind her and nearly sends her toppling over – it is only his firm grip on her arm that saves her from falling. She might have chastised him for his rudeness, but her eyes are too busy taking in the sight before her.

The space is massive – far larger than she ever could have begun to imagine – and filled with children (some her age, some younger) eating and conversing loudly over long wooden tables. The air is thick with the scent of roasted meats and cool earth. Looking around the room, Lucy comes to a very quick (and, honestly, a little unnerving) conclusion. "Wendy?" she asks softly, for the girl's ears alone. "Where are all the other girls?"

Wendy shrugs, seeming unconcerned by the very vast majority of boys. "Most of them stay on the other side of the island with Erza."

"Erza? Who is –!" She promptly finds her mouth covered, Natsu looking almost pale.

"Don't say her name!" he hisses under his breath.

Alarmed, Lucy looks to Wendy for some sort of confirmation only to find the girl giggling around her petite hand. "Natsu's scared of her."

Appearing over Natsu's shoulder, Happy snickers behind a paw. "They all are!"

Natsu sends him a dry look. "So are you!"

The feline's smile drops, suddenly looking quite solemn. "She is scary."

Lucy still doesn't understand, but the rapidly growing hush that covers the large space prevents her from inquiring further. When she turns she finds more than a dozen eyes fixed on her – some curious, others skeptical. All of them seem surprised by her presence.

Natsu too notices the silence and, slinging an arm casually (and very inappropriately) over her shoulder, he cheers. "Hey everyone! This is our newest Lost Boy, Lushi!"

She scowls at him. "My name is Lucy!" she says sharply, but the loud cheering from the room drowns out her correction. Still, she feels the need to set the record straight (even if she is the only one listening). "And I'm not a boy!"

Natsu only offers her a wider smile as he announces that she can read.

Immediately she is swarmed, little hands taking her's and dragging her towards a bench. Their questions all come at once, their voices jumbling so thoroughly that she can hardly make sense of of one from the other. Then, without warning a large leather bound book is shoved into her hands and again the room goes quiet. When she merely gazes back at the young faces, one of the older boys in the back rolls his eyes. "Well? You can read it can't you?"

"Oh! Oh, yes," she replies, still shaking off the shock of being at the center of so much attention. Her fingers trace the embossed lettering, her brow furrowing in disappointment. "Ah, it's a book on mathematics..."

There are several groans from the older children, but the young boy at her elbow tugs on her sleeve. "What's that?"

Again, it is the older boy in the back that answers. "Boring, that's what." He pushes his dark hair away from his eyes before sending a glare Natsu's way. "Why the hell would you steal that."

Natsu huffs, flying over and plucking the heavy volume from her hands. "Shut up, Gray! It was one of the biggest ones! I figured it'd have the best story!"

Secluded in the corner a older boy with a frightening amount of piercings scoffs. "Tch, figures."

Lucy is still stuck on Natsu's explanation to pay too much attention to the grumpy teens response. "You stole it?"

Natsu opens the book, holding it sideways. "Yeah, guess I'm gonna have to steal another one though. This stinks." He tosses it over his shoulder and Lucy cringes at the loud thunk that results from it hitting the dirt floor. "Hey, what shelf should I look on next time? Where do you keep the good stuff?"

"Good stuff?" she repeats dumbly, before his meaning catches on. Anger ignites her blood. "You stole this from my mother's library?!"

He must recognize the outrage in her voice because his smile quickly turns nervous, his hands raised between them defensively. "I was gonna put it back! Honest!"

She's not entirely sure she believes him. Even if she did she's not sure it would qualm the shaking of her hands or the itch to slap him. Her library is one of the few things she has left of her mother. In many ways it is more sacred to her than her mother's grave. Still, Natsu sounds genuine and she decides to give him the benefit of the doubt if only because he has brought her to this miraculous place he calls Neverland. "Why would you steal any of them if you can't read?" she hisses under her breath. It is meant for his ears only but she can see some of the boys leaning closer in hopes of catching her words from the corner of her eye.

He shrugs, as if the answer is obvious. "Because you can."

His answer is both innocent and loaded. Lucy has no difficulty in deciphering it. "You wished me to read to everyone? To tell them stories?"

"Well, yeah, but only if you want to." He gives her a sheepish smile, boyish and full of an optimism she hasn't known since childhood. "I mean, you do like stories. Don't you?"

She does. However she has never been one to tell them – it has always been just her. The thought of sharing stories with someone other than herself is both thrilling and terrifying, but one glance at the sea of expectant faces gives her pause. They want this... perhaps almost as much as she yearns for their company.

She licks her lips, a nervous habit her governess would surely have chided her for, and nods. "Once upon a time," she starts, sitting back down upon the bench. Immediately there are excited whispers as many of the young boys find themselves a spot on the floor, forming a half circle in front of her. She thinks that this is how a primary school teacher must feel, and smiles at the thought. "There lived an old shoemaker and his wife."

With every word she feels her confidence grow. When she finishes the story they ask (beg) eagerly for another. She tells it willingly, happily even. She paints them pictures with her words until her voice, so unaccustomed to being used, goes hoarse. Some of the younger boys have already fallen asleep on the floor, their faces illuminated only by the dying embers cast by the oversized fireplace in the corner.

Lucy yawns, feeling her own eyelids grow heavy, and jumps when she feels a warm hand upon her shoulder.

Natsu smiles down at her – Lucy can't help but feel as if there is no small amount of pride hiding behind that grin. "Come on."

"Where?" she asks, though she finds herself standing before he answers.

He raises an amused brow. "Don't want to sleep on the floor, do you?"

She looks down at the hard packed dirt and decides that she most certainly would not prefer to make it her bed for the night, and is quick to follow. "I didn't think you had beds down here," she murmurs softly, carefully stepping over a sleeping boy.

"We don't," he quips, pulling aside a large, heavily stitched curtain (though she suspects they were bed sheets at one point in time). "We got hammocks!" he says excitedly, as if they were far superior to her feather filled mattress at home. In the small room she spies several hammocks rigged to the exposed roots along the dirt walls. "Besides, helps keep the bugs off!"

She pauses, feeling a shiver of trepidation run down her spine. "Bugs?" she squeaks.

He gives a casual wave of his hand. "Ah, don't worry. Wendy keeps things clean in here. She don't like em either." He gestures to one of the hammocks. "You can take this one."

Lucy eyes it hesitantly, uncomfortably aware that it would be entirely too easy to tip and fall from the folds of fabric and make a fool of herself. She plucks at the thick cloth and gives Natsu a nervous smile (one that she hopes is perceived as gratitude instead of uncertainty) before clumsily climbing into the swaying contraption. It only takes one near fall before she graciously accepts Natsu's steadying hand – even once she's firmly tucked in she is hesitant to trust her own balance.

When he releases her hand she feels as if she has lost something, and it dawns on her that saying goodnight means saying goodbye. When she wakes the rough dirt floors will be replaced by gleaming hardwood, the dirt walls with crown molding and decorative wallpaper. Suddenly her eyes don't feel quite so heavy – in fact the weight seems to have settled over her heart instead.

He gives her a small thumbs up, rocking on the back of his heels. For a moment she thinks he looks almost shy. "Not so bad, right?"

She gives him as much of a smile as she can muster. "It's wonderful," she replies, voice barely above a whisper. It is all wonderful. The freedom, the adventures... It is all more than she could have ever hoped for. She thinks, perhaps, when she wakes up she will write every detail down so that she can revisit this place over and over. Perhaps the memory of a dream so wonderful as this can help stave off the loneliness that comes with reality.

The grin he gives her is so wide, so honest, it makes her heart warm with its brightness. Somehow he must know she isn't merely talking about the sleeping arrangements. "I knew you'd love it here! Just wait, it gets even better!"

"I'm sure it does," she says softly. She hopes she will see him again – in another dream where he can show her all kinds of adventures. Where she can feel noticed and (dare she even think it) appreciated. Desperation rises like high tide in a storm – hitting her with a ferocity and speed that leaves her cold and breathless. "Promise," she blurts, manicured hands gripping the edges of her hammock, "Promise I'll see you again? That you, and this place, will be here when I wake up?"

Natsu gives her an odd look, the bridge of his boyish nose crinkling in confusion. "Well, yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

Gone, her mind whispers. Nonexistent. A lucid wisp of a dream. "Just promise," she demands. She needs to hear him say it – needs even the smallest semblance of hope that closing her eyes won't mean saying goodbye.

He pauses thoughtfully, sincerely, before nodding. "I promise," he says. "Night, Luce. I'll see you in the morning."

She swallows thickly, pulling the blanket up other chin. "Goodnight." The word tastes bitter – like goodbye – but she breathes deeply, closes her eyes, and follows the tiny thread of hope he has given her into a fitful, dreamless sleep.

In the morning, when she opens her eyes, it is Natu's grin that greets her.


AN: Wow you guys! I never imagined the first chapter would get such a positive response! I'm so happy to see that so many of you are enjoying this little side project! There will either be one more (long) chapter or two chapters – we'll see what it wants to be (though I suspect probably two chapters). As always, thank you so much for your support! I always love hearing from you! I will try to update Ignite and To the Flame as soon as possible (I know it's been a while...)