"Lucy, what do you plan on doing during break? Are you going somewhere?" Levy asked as they skipped out of the classroom. Lucy shook her head.
"I plan to stay home. What about you?" Levy grinned.
"Gajeel promised me we'll go to the amusement park for a date." She jumped up excitedly. "I can't wait."
"He best keep that promise." Lucy replied.
"Huh? Why?" Levy looked at her in confusion. Lucy tilted her head.
"If you don't keep a promise, the person you made it with will forget about you as long as they consider the promise broken." The bluenette laughed and waved her hand dismissively.
"Have you been reading too many stories? People won't forget about you, they'll just resent you." They reached the residential area of the city. "Well, see you." Lucy watched her friend trot away merrily.
"But I could have sworn that's how the world worked," she muttered.
"How long is a year to you? Soon?"
"No. A year is too long to be considered soon. You lied to me."
Lucy woke up with tears dripping onto the pillow. The immense sorrow and betrayal she had felt in her dream was too surreal. It made her want to despair for eternity.
Washing her face, Lucy decided to go to the nearby cafe to cal herself down. Her friends taht frequented there might help cheer her up. The blonde opened the door and took a step outside-
Only to trip over something and fall flat on her face.
"Ow," she groaned and turned to get a getter look of what she had tripped over. "What in the world?"
A strange boy with pink hair around her age was collapsed on her doormat. She shook him, asking him if he was alright. When he was unresponsive, Lucy decided to take matters into her own hands. Hefting the boy onto her back, she carried him inside and set him on the couch. She inspected his body.
For someone who supposedly collapsed, his face was calm. There were no signs of injuries. If he had just fallen asleep outside of her door, then he was lucky nobody had questioned him earlier. But his clothing was rather outdated. Did people still wear tunics during this time? And cloaks? Perhaps he was just a theater kid in a costume. A sense of déjà vu hit her. Had she met him before? Oh well, there was nothing she could do for now.
All there was to do was wait.
Natsu woke up with a groan. Maybe he should have been more specific when the gods had asked how he'd like to meet Lucy. Being thrown out of a hole in the sky and landing on the ground below was not preferable. He lifted his hand and stared at it, remembering the last thing the gods had told him.
"You are no longer a demon."
Supposedly, in order to fit in with this world, he had to be stripped of his demonic identity. There were no demons, fairies, or slayers in this world, just animals, plants, and humans. Well that's boring. But if that as the exchange for seeing Lucy again, so be it. Where as he anyway? Natsu took one look at his surroundings and grew uneasy.
Everything around him looked so similar yet so different. He was lying on a sofa with a blanket draped over him, low table in front of him besides it. In front of him was a big thing box with lines attached to it from the back. What was that? He began to panic. Just as he was about to lose it, a soothing voice asked, "are you okay?" He turned.
She's alive, he thought. Blonde hair the same length as he last saw her, eyes the same warm brown. She was alive and well, standing right in from of him, looking concerned with a worried aura and-
Natsu began to sob. She was alive and that was all he could have ever wanted.
Lucy continued to fuss over him like he remembered.
He cried harder.
"Have you calmed down?" Lucy patted the boy's back.
"Yeah." he took a deep breath and opened his mouth when his stomach growled. Bashfully, he looked up from his stomach and told her, "I'm hungry." Lucy giggled.
"I'll find something for you." She came back with a few sandwiches. Natsu took it gratefully.
"Isn't bread expensive?" He asked as he bit into the soft food. Lucy looked at him in disbelief.
"Not really, no. It may have been hard to obtain a long time ago, but it's quite easy to find bread in markets and stores now."
"How many pieces?"
"You mean how many slices they give per package?" Natsu looked at her strangely.
"No, how much does it cost? Ten silver pieces?"
"We don't use 'pieces' here." Natsu began to look frustrated. "What's wrong?"
"Everything is so different here,' he scratched his head.
"Here? Where do you come from?" Lucy asked curiously.
"A village."
"There aren't any villages nearby." Lucy explained. "Besides, isn't it a bit broad to just call it a village? What's the name of it?"
"We didn't really establish a name. I came here in a pretty funky style either way."
"Care to tell me your tale?"
"If it makes things easier, sure."
Lucy had been strangely quiet during his story. Of course, Natsu had excluded any mention of meeting her. He had merely explained the lifestyle he had. After finishing his story, he asked the blonde if she believed him.
"I do," she replied to his surprise. "I'm not sure if demons and fairies existed back then, but what you explained to me was similar to the history I've learned. Besides," she playfully pulled at his clothing, "it'd explain why you're wearing such outdated clothing."
"You're the one with weird clothes. Can I stay here?" Natsu twiddled his thumbs. "I don't have anywhere to stay."
"Of course! But clothes might be an issue." Lucy shook her head. "I think my friend's clothes might fit you, but until the, you'll have to work with my oversized shirts."
"Then do you know where the closest river or well is?" Lucy gave him a blank stare. "Where else am I supposed to get water for baths?"
"I'm really going to have to teach you about this world," she sighed.
When Natsu dragged himself out of bed and exited his room, Lucy was having a conversation with someone. As she finished pouring tea and leaned back, Natsu caught a glimpse of who her guest was and tensed.
He couldn't comprehend why Lucy was having such a great time with this man, and what's worse, Natsu could feel his self control slipping each second he looked at him.
"Natsu, this is Gray. He was kind enough to bring you clothes." She introduced him with a hand gesture, but he could barely pay attention. "Gray, this is Natsu. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, he'll be staying with me for a while." A long while.
"Nice to meet you." Gray extended his hand. Natsu swatted it away and growled.
"What are you doing here?" Gray didn't seem disturbed by the one-sided hostility.
"I came to visit Lucy and bring you some clothes. I just hope if fits you."
"I don't believe you." Natsu felt something in him snap. He hurled himself onto Gray and started aiming for him face. "You killed her! You wouldn't care for anything but your own pleasures. You're a killer!" Gray grunted and raised his arms to defend himself.
"Natsu! What are you doing? Stop this instant." Lucy dragged him off Gray and pinned him onto the floor. "Are you okay?"
"Somehow." Gray got up with no difficulty. "I'm not sure if you're mistaking me for someone else, but I never killed anyone. So if you could kindly stop accusing me-"
"Don't lie!"
"Natsu!" Lucy sighed. "Excuse me." She forcefully dragged Natsu back into his room. "What in the world has gotten into you?"
"He killed my friend, I know he did!" He strained towards the door.
"Look, I don't know what happened between you and that person, but Gray has never killed someone. Don't you think you're mistaking people?"
"I know for sure he's the one who killed her." Natsu huffed. " I won't apologize, if that's what you want me to do."
"Then don't. At least settle your differences." Natsu glared at her. Lucy sighed. "I'll call him over."
Natsu was more than a bit reluctant to tell Gray about the true story as to why he was staying at Lucy's place. Gray took it well, and what surprised Natsu was the fact that he was the one who apologized.
"I didn't kill someone, but if Lucy was reincarnated, maybe I was too. So in the place of her murderer, I apologize."
"You believe in reincarnation?"
"I believe in a lot of things." Gray chuckled. "But does Lucy know the whole story?"
"No, it would defeat my purpose of coming here if I did." Gray nodded in understanding.
"I get it. She has to remember it herself, right? Well, she might not have told you, but she did tell me that she's been having dreams lately. She says she feels like she's seen you before."
"That's good. I want her to remember as soon as possible, without forcing things."
"Dedication. Or should I call it true love?" Gray laughed. He offered his hand once again. "Are we cool?"
If you were not a demon, we could have been the best of friends.
"Yeah," Natsu took the hand without hesitation. "We're good."
"Hm? This is. . ." Natsu picked the doll up gingerly. Lucy glanced at him for a split second before resuming her work.
"That? My parents gave it to me when I was little."
"What's her name?"
"Gonzales."
"Pfft- That's so not cute." Natsu chuckled. Lucy playfully stuck her tongue out.
"I know. I just couldn't find a good name for her. I'm thinking of calling her Michelle." Natsu froze.
"Why Michelle?"
"Something told me it would be best to call her Michelle. She seems like one, don't you think?"
"Yeah, exactly like one," Natsu placed the doll back onto the vanity and moaned.
"I'm hungry."
"I trust you with my kitchen now. You can make something if you want."
"I wanna eat out."
"No." Lucy said quickly. "Last time we went out, it was a disaster."
"How was I supposed to know that Tabasco wasn't a topping for ice cream?"
"Did you know how many people gave us weird looks?" Lucy muttered in embarrassment. "I vowed to never again go to that parlor."
"I wanna eat out."
"No. Go eat that casserole from last night."
"Tabasco doesn't go well with that casserole."
"Must everything go with Tabasco?"
"Yes."
"Fine. Go with Gray." Lucy sighed. "But if I hear that you two have another fight in public again, you'll be stuck at home with things that don't go well with Tabasco."
"Fine." Natsu grinned. "See ya later."
"Bye." Lucy waved. A sharp sting at her back made her gasp. She saw fire, heard shouting, smelled blood. Taking a moment to recollect herself, she took a shaky breath. She didn't need to see the full story to know that it ended in tragedy.
"This is the worst." Lucy grumbled as she laid in bed. She coughed multiple times and shivered. Natsu shook his head in amusement.
"Who told you to pull all-nighters? I know inspiration comes out best during the night, but even fatigue can affect your performance."
"I don't want to hear that coming from one of the main sources of my inability to fall asleep." She weakly threw a pillow in his direction.
"Harsh." He replied. Setting a tray down on her nightstand, he grinned. "Does little Lucy need Natsu to feed her?"
"No." The blonde said immediately.
"So fast!"
"I can do it myself." She sat up and dipped her spoon into the broth. Natsu looked at her in concern.
"Why are you staying up so much lately? Your deadline isn't until three months later." The blonde sighed at set her food back onto the tray.
"Nightmares."
"Nightmares?"
"Lately I've been dreaming a lot of things that don't make sense. You know Michelle? I dreamed of her as my sister. Gray told you something like that, right?"
"He did, yeah." Natsu nodded.
"Well, lately I've been dreaming of being chased by a mob. They were shouting really weird things like killing a demon." Natsu flinched.
"And?"
"They start throwing things at me. I remember being led through the forest by someone. Before we make it to the clearing, I always wake up. I don't know what happens after that."
"Are you scared?" Lucy thought for an uncomfortable amount of time.
"A bit- no, I'm really scared. I want to know what happened."
"If you sleep, you'll dream it. You can see how the story ended." Natsu said in a weary voice. Lucy gave him a sad look.
"Do you know what happens?" His silence told her everything. Lucy looked down at her hands. "I'll sleep then. I have to get better anyway."
"You can't leave your bed until ten." Lucy looked at him in disbelief.
"That's outrageous!"
"You should stay in bed for eleven hours. You'll need a lot of sleep to make up for all those all-nighters." He took the tray and stood up to leave when Lucy tugged on his sleeve.
"Can you stay with me? In case it gets really bad?" His gaze softened. Natsu patted her head and sat back down.
"Sure. I'll stay with you for as long as you want."
"No matter what, we'll see each other again. I'll make sure of it."
Lucy drowsily opened her eyes only to find a very blurry outline of Natsu hovering over her face. It took her a while to realize her tears were the reason why. Blinking them back, she pointed at Natsu happily.
"You kept your promise." He grinned.
"Don't you think I earned a reward?" She sat up slowly and leaned in, giving Natsu a chaste kiss on the lips. He pulled back in shock as she winked.
"I think I owe you more than that."
"So much more." They closed the distance once more.
