Her clothes were all wet...but why? Oh that's right...she splashed water on herself when she was outside. How did she find water? Did she dump it from a cup she had? Those questions hardly mattered at all right now as she focused on the one thing that seemed to help. "Can I dry my clothes on you? You did such a good job earlier. See? Most of my shirt is already dry."

"What?! N – no! What's wrong with you, stupid?! I'm not a clothes line! Go change and get in bed and go to sleep!"

"Why not? You're always so warm Natsu. It feels good. It won't take long, I promise." She beamed and stretched her arms out to hug him again. "C'mon...Hug me Natsu! I want a hug!" She wanted to return to his safe, secure embrace. What was the problem in hugging her? He never seemed to have much of a problem when she was sad. Well, she wasn't exactly sad right now, but she had been earlier. That's why she wanted to hug him again; she already had the chance and he was fine with that one.

"Lucy! Stop! Lucy! Go change!"

She was suddenly turned and almost fell over from the dizziness that she felt from it. Her back bumped the wall for a second before she tried advancing again. "I can't change Natsu. I don't have my stuff." She pushed forward again and again was held at bay with his strength. "Why don't you want me to hug you? I need help drying my clothes off and you help best with that!"

She was unprepared to stop walking, let alone the odd angle her arms were bent at for that second before she was suddenly let go. She screamed that she would fall and hurt herself and clutched his clothes. She cringed and tried to shrink as much as possible on the way down. Oh please don't let her hit her head! She suddenly felt pressed against something and the back of her head said that everything would be okay now.

They stopped as fast as they had fallen and all was still. Her brain felt jarred and she remained as she was with her eyes closed. The heat returned to her and she almost melted against it. Her arms and legs went limp for a bit.

"L – Lucy... are you okay?"

Her eyes peeked open. She was being spoken to. It was a question of concern. She should answer him. Of course she was fine, thanks to him and his quick thinking. Her eyes looked up, but she didn't see anything resembling a face. That wouldn't do; she wanted to speak to him while looking into his eyes. She ordered her arms to move and they were sluggish. She was almost unaware of what it was she was touching, but her hands hooked onto something and she dragged herself upward.

She looked into his face. Her brow furrowed as she looked at the pain on his face. A hand moved and stroked his hair and he cringed at her touch. Her hand pulled away as if she had been burned. "Natsu? Are you okay?" Her eyes widened. "You're hurt. You got hurt because of me again..." Her eyes teared. Would she ever stop causing him trouble? "I'm sorry... This is my fault."

"It's fine Lucy... Don't worry about this. This isn't -"

Lucy hugged him suddenly, nuzzling his neck with her face. "You're so nice Natsu! You always get hurt because of me and yet you don't hate me for it! You always help me whenever I'm sad and you always know how to say the right things to make me feel better. You really are the best guy in the world!"

"L – Lucy...thanks...I guess... C – can you maybe...get off me now?"

Her eyes popped open. She stared at the lighted ceiling for what seemed the longest time. This time the dream was a little more vivid. She sat up and shook her head a little to clear the cobwebs. As soon as possible, she jumped off the bed and hurried to her desk. She grabbed a blank sheet of paper and wrote as if possessed. She had to get this all down asap before it fell into her subconscious again!

When she finally halted, she stared at the jumbled words of her dream and the physical effects when she woke up. That strange feeling wasn't there like last time, but she felt a surge in her heart that she knew was affection because she felt this with her mother when she was a child. She was happy to be able to name this emotion at least, even though it didn't add any pieces to this huge jigsaw puzzle.

She rested her aching head in her hands, palms blocking her eyes. At last, she sat back in her chair and looked out the windows at the day. What time was it? She felt like the ability to keep track of minutes and hours was escaping her. She noted from her clock that it was just past breakfast and her eyes widened a little. All was quiet and empty in her apartment, save for herself. Usually, if she was gone this long in the morning, there would be a certain fire mage busting inside and wondering where she was.

She sighed. She needed to know that he was doing okay at least. She didn't know what to say or how to explain last night, but she wanted the relief that he hadn't suffered on her account for whatever she had done. She didn't think she could meet his eyes, but the time for full embarrassment could be later. Natsu needed answers in some form from her for her behavior last night.

How did she explain this though? Where did this latest group of images and words and emotions fit into what she had barely seen last night? What came first? Was she starting at the beginning or the ending? She had a feeling that Natsu could shed a lot of light on this, but given that he ran away as he had and gave that very curt response before exiting, she didn't think asking him about it was a good idea.

She rested her head in a palm and stared at the wall. Go and see him or stay here and continue to figure things out. Both sounded appealing. She could flip a coin and it wouldn't make a difference to her. She didn't want to be absent from the guild for too long though. Maybe she could clear her head if she just stopped in for a while...maybe take a look at the mission board...

She decided to head out and at least get some food. She didn't think she could even cook anything right now with as muddled as she felt. She would probably end up burning herself on the stove flames if this kept up.

Being able to be attached like this felt good and Lucy's bad mood melted away as she focused on Natsu's fire magic radiating from his body.

She paused in the process of putting her shorts on and nearly fell over as she off-settled. Was it really a good idea to go out when she was like this? She adjusted the belt holding her keys at her waist and decided to take the book with her and have Levy look at it. Her friend was a script mage; words were her thing. If anyone could find a hidden meaning in something, it was Levy. She picked it up and headed out the door.

She breathed in the fresh air and noted that the day was just gorgeous. She waved at the man in the boat who called a hello to her. She hopped onto the edge of the road right next to the stream and began her usual walk down the road.

She paused when the sound of gurgling water met her ears. She hadn't seen a stream or anything resembling water in the city so far and thus hurried over to the direction of the noise.

She fell into the stream with a splash, quickly coming to the surface with a sputter. She grabbed the hand of a passerby and was hauled over the side to the street. She mumbled a thanks, unable to look the person's way, and dumbly nodded to 'stop walking on the edge like that'. She stared at the puddle under her as she was left alone, not wanting to go all the way back to the apartment and drip water the whole way up. She was almost halfway to the guild as it was now.

She sighed and raised both hands to wring out her hair. She suddenly paused and jolted. The book! She looked around frantically for it, praying it hadn't fallen in with her. She hurled her torso over the edge and looked for the book amongst the slight waves. Nothing. She whirled around and scanned the ground. She breathed a sigh of relief that it had fallen away from the direction of the stream, probably where it had gotten flung on her way down. She snatched it up and checked it for any wet pages, but there were none. If this got wet, she didn't know what she'd do!

With the sun shining down and as warm as it was, by the time she got to the guild, she would pretty much be dried anyway so Lucy decided to continue on. She honestly didn't care right now with as messed up as her head was. It seemed almost appropriate that her outer appearance should match her inner turmoil. She needed to notate this for later, if she hadn't already written it down. She HAD written it down, hadn't she?

'Get a grip on yourself! I need to figure this out and I need this potion for that. I can't stop here.' She mentally steeled herself, thinking of how Natsu tried to think past a difficult situation as she noticed the familiar stone building come into sight. She stopped just a bit out from the main entrance and stared up at it. It was such a sight for sore eyes and she had missed it dearly ever since they came back from Tenroujima. She didn't dare come here after the relocation because it had been closed down and blockaded. She didn't want the guild to go through anything else just because she was nostalgic. Staring at it made her feel a little better and her head cleared a bit. She smiled and touched the stone wall.

She was met with a gorgeous sight of a stone fountain surrounded with flowers. Flowers pots dotted the ground and the middle section as well. Angels poured water from their empty containers at the very top and in between them was another huge pot fully blooming.

She stepped back and stumbled. She dropped the book in her haste to steady herself and hurried to retrieve it. She couldn't just go throwing it around! She couldn't fit it in her pockets though, so she chastised herself to keep a better grip on it. With a quick shake of her head, hoping no one else had seen that spectacle, she headed inside the open doors.

The noise was deafening, as it always was. It was heartwarming to hear the throng of the crowd bounce off the high walls of the main hall. She stopped to admire it with a small smile. After a second, she picked herself up and strode to the bar area, giving Mira a quick greeting and waved off the queries about her appearance. She ordered some food and watched her friend head off to go make it.

While she waited, Lucy twirled in the bar stool to check for Levy. She didn't see her friend close by though and realized a further search would be necessary. Or she could just ask Mira, who knew pretty much all the comings and goings of all members.

Lucy turned back when a quiet clunk sounded next to her arm. She turned and smiled at the heavenly smell that met her nose. "Thanks! I'm starved!" She grabbed the sandwich and suddenly paused. "Have you seen Levy around here this morning?"

Mira smiled. "She just got back from a quest I believe. I saw her here not that long ago..." Mira trailed off, eyes seeing into the great hall before lighting up. "There she is! She's over with Gajeel."

Lucy smiled. Why was she not surprised? She turned to look and grabbed the plate of food. "Thanks again for the food and the help!" She made a beeline for her friend. "Levy. Can I take up a minute or two of your time please?"

Levy turned from her conversation with Gajeel, conversation in the barest sense of the word more like it, and smiled. "Lu-chan! Oh my, what happened?"

"Did Salamander finally push you in that river?"

She pouted at Gajeel. "No! I accidentally fell in. But that's not what I want to talk to you about." She grabbed Levy's hand. "I have a question for you and I need your help with a book."

Levy's ears perked up and her eyes twinkled. "Sure! I haven't already read it have I?"

"If you did, it would be a huge help to me!" She pulled Levy to a table that wasn't in use and plopped down. "What do you know about dream spells?"

Levy blinked and slowly took the book she produced. "Um...not much yet. Why do you ask?"

She quickly took a bite of the sandwich to give her time to phrase her wording carefully. "I had an idea for a story from a dream that I had when we were at the Grand Magic Games, but I had all but forgotten it by the time we got home. I saw this book and bought it to see if it could help." She paused again, taking another bite as she tried to figure out just what else was safe to allude to. Did she want to say that she had already used it twice?

"I've read a few books on dreams, but nothing yet that included spells about remembering them. Let me read this real quick so I can maybe help you." Levy grabbed her magic reading glasses and flipped open to the first page. The pair sat in silence for a few minutes as Levy breezed through the book. Not even five minutes later, the book closed with a low whomp. "Lu-chan..." Levy slowly took off the glasses. The look on her face was not very upbeat. "I'm not too sure that I like the magic this book describes."

Her head tilted and she leaned in, already wary. She put the sandwich down and shoved it aside. "Why? What's wrong? I already read it myself, but it seemed to be lacking a few explanations."

Levy looked away for a second, teeth nibbling her lip. "This doesn't seem to be any low level magic spell in this book. From the sounds of it, you can relive your dreams with the potion listed here, but it seems to come with a price."

Her brows rose. "A price? I didn't see anything about that."

"I found it with my glasses." Levy flipped to the chapter she had seen about the time limit and pointed to a passage. "It's not really clear at all if you read it without magic, but it seems like the side effects mix up reality and the dream world."

"What does that mean?"

"That's all I could find out..." Levy closed the book again. "I don't have much experience with sleep spells or spells that force you into a dream. I don't know if anyone here does. We only had Mystogan..."

"Who's gone now." She interjected with a sigh. Her head dropped onto the table. "What's the chance that Master knows anything about this?" She queried, not really expecting an answer. "I wonder if the library has any books on it..."

Levy thoughtfully hummed, tapping the book on the table. "You'd have to ask on that one. I've read a bunch of books there already, but I don't remember coming across anything like this in there yet." Levy's lips pursed thoughtfully as she stared at the boring, brown cover. "I really don't know why this isn't in our library already actually. This isn't some basic, beginner spell." Their eyes locked. "Where did you find this?"

"The bookstore. It was in there with all the other books. It was the only one too."

Levy was silent for a bit. "I don't suggest using the potion in the book Lu-chan. Honestly, I'd prefer it if you marched over right now and handed it over to master for safekeeping. Maybe if you tried to think about the dream some more you'd be able to recall something. I know that's not much of a help, but I really understand your trouble. I've been there myself before."

She took the book back and finished off the sandwich. She took the weight of her friend's words to heart. She grimly looked to the small book in her hand, contemplating what she had done so far. She didn't know what mixing up the dream world and reality meant. She had no one to talk to about this, no other mages in any guilds she had met at the tournament used this kind of magic. The only thing she knew was from what she had experienced herself after drinking the potion. Who knew what master knew in his many years of magic practice? Did she really want to check with him? If Levy wanted her to give up the book, master probably would take it from her if it was dangerous...

Even if he took the book and refused to give it back, she had already memorized the potion ingredients from the pages. She had read it enough to have kept the main points in her head. As it was, she could patronize her friend and still go home and make another potion if she so desired.

She finally thanked Levy and put her empty plate back on the bar, mind whirling. What did she do? Did she throw caution to the wind and keep going? It seemed folly to do so. She could just save herself possible headache by confronting Natsu and making him give her information. She sighed and turned from the bar, eyes on the ground. She idly scratched at her chin as her eyes remained on the walkway out. She barely noticed the doorway around her and looked up to the sun when it blinded her.

What were the odds that he'd talk to her? She knew Natsu to be somewhat simple-minded at times, but his bravery and honesty were like none other. If she tried to get him to spill, he might talk about what happened, but if he had left like he had, he may not want to rehash it. He hadn't last night that was for sure! She heaved yet another sigh and slowly headed toward Natsu's house. She had to at least try!