A month passed by relatively quickly for Lucy. She went on a date with Daichi every Friday night. She visited the bookstore every Tuesday where they would sit together, drink coffee, and simply read beside each other. It was peaceful. The kind of comforting presence that she thought she longed for. Yet, her thoughts constantly traveled back to Natsu. She couldn't help but wonder how Happy and him were doing and where they were. The pain from him leaving still hung low in the pit of her belly, a constant nagging sensation that refused to let her fully fall into the feelings that were growing between Daichi and herself. Every kiss and touch from Daichi temporarily transported her to a different world, allowing her to momentarily escape the pain that stung her heart. Every night, as she laid in bed, she felt torn between her actions and her heart. She knew that, in part, she was being disingenuous to Daichi. Unfair, even. Yet, each moment she spent with him, every time his sweet green eyes met hers, every time he would gently kiss her yet never ask for more, she fell for him a bit harder. She couldn't help but like him and as the days continued to pass and the pain in her gut only grew she continually repeated to herself that she had missed her chance with Natsu. She repeated it over and over again until, eventually, she truly started to believe it.

She had missed her chance with Natsu, and that was that.

Still, even though Daichi's presence soothed her pain and made her forget about the person she loved… as soon as she was alone thoughts of Natsu, the image of him walking away, would invade her mind and refuse to leave. She tried to push the thoughts away, tried to ignore her feelings, and focus solely on the new feelings she had for Daichi.

It was Tuesday again, so that meant she was sitting on the worn-out leather couch beside Daichi. Her head was leaning against his shoulder, a book in her face. She breathed in the scent of the bookstore deeply, letting the soothing aroma calm her senses. She pulled her thoughts away from Natsu and turned into the man beside her. He instinctively wrapped his arm around her, leaning his head down to rest on top of hers. Some soft music floated over the speakers that hide around the room. She felt herself melt into his embrace just as he turned and kissed the top of her head. Things had been going so easily with him, so natural, that it was hard to resist the pull of the feelings he so willingly offered. A minute letter she felt his hand under her chin, gently twisting her neck so that they were looking at each other eye to eye. She curled her body so she was snuggled against him a little bit more and the corners of his lips twitched up in a soft smile. The intense way he was looking at her, searching her, made her blush. As soon as the rosy color invaded her cheeks he winked knowingly at her, only making her blush escalate. His look deepened as a sudden seriousness invaded the space between them.

"Lucy?"

"Mhm?" She felt dazed, locked in place by his searching eyes.

"I think I'm falling in love with you."

The whole room seemed to freeze for a moment before it began spinning out of control. She couldn't put two and two together. She couldn't organize her thoughts. His words bounced around her brain, hitting her every nerve and sending a strongly weird, yet wonderful, sensation throughout her whole body. Her fingers shook slightly and he reached a hand down to hold one of hers, calming them and forcing them to be still. He looked down at her hand, smiled warmly, then lifted it up and kissed the back of it slightly. Just like how a fairy tale prince would kiss a princess. The breath was knocked out of her as his eyes met hers and she was rocked by the truthfulness of his words. She could see his feelings written all over his body. The way he acted around her, the way he talked, the look in his eyes every time she was near… Slowly, he put down her hand and brought his up to behind her head and pulled her into a kiss. The kiss started off as usual, slow, caring, and it set her nerves on fire even more.

But, then, it changed.

It became deeper, more heated. His hand tangled in her hair and her body arched against his. His other hand found its way to the small of her back, pulling her in even closer as her hands worked their way up to hold each side of his face, pulling his lips tight against hers. His tongue asked for entrance and she quickly opened her mouth so that their tongues could dance together. A heated passion was growing between them, a need she didn't fully understand invaded her body, working its way up through her entire being. Her fingers knotted into his hair and sooner than she wanted he pulled back from her, parting his lips from hers, before untangling his hand from her hair and running the back of his hand down the side of her face. Their was an indescribable hunger in his eyes that it was clear he was trying to suppress with deep breaths.

"I didn't mean to… Not so soon… I just…" His eyes searched hers again and he tucked her hair carefully behind her ear. "I'm falling hard for you, Lucy."

Lucy wasn't sure exactly what to say. She knew she didn't love him, but she did like him, so she told him as much of the truth that she felt he needed to know. She was still dazed from the intense kiss they had just shared so her response came out only semi-coherent. "I… I like you, too…" Her voice was heavy, heated still with the romantic tension that covered the space around them.

He pulled her in again for a gentle kiss before asking the question that she could tell had been weighing on his mind. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

She smiled and leaned in to kiss him yet again, for some reason she couldn't get enough of the feeling of his lips against her own. Before she even knew what she was saying, before she gave herself the chance to really analyze her feelings and consider the situation of her confused emotional state. She acted within the moment, completely caught up in the situation and emotions at hand. "Yes…" Her voice was soft and kind, and the immediate smile that lit up his face kept her heart warm her entire walk home.

Two weeks later and she had finally worked up the nerve to bring Daichi to the guild. He was eager to meet the people that she considered family. She had told him so many stories about her adventures that ever since they had officially become a couple he had been dropping constant hints about them stopping by the guild together. Today, she had finally crumbled. Plus, she needed a distraction from Natsu's constant non-presence. She had started to worry about him, he hadn't been exact about the date he would return, but being at the guild alone she could feel everyones eyes constantly evaluating her. They were watching her, seeing how she would react to Natsu's sudden departure. She kept her smile on, interacting kindly with everyone as usual, not letting anyone, even Levy, into the pain she felt every time she walked into the guild hall and Natsu wasn't there.

Daichi and her were sitting at a table across from Levy and Gajeel. Everyone in the guild had simply stopped and stared as soon as she had entered with him. She had nervously introduced him and it wasn't until Erza broke the tension by coming over to her and welcoming Daichi that the guild had returned to almost normal. The usual clamor was slightly less than regular, but she couldn't exactly blame them. Over the last few weeks she had come to the realization that almost everyone in the guild had expected her to end up with Natsu, so the sheer shock of her showing up with someone else, someone who didn't even use magic, had rocked them.

Lucy was just happy that Levy was acting normal. Gajeel, on the other hand, was acting especially weird. His eyes were furrowed, glaring at Daichi. Gajeel could be extremely intimidating with his long, wild hair, tattoos, and piercings. Daichi squirmed uncomfortably beside her, so she reached over and gently squeezed his hand making him smile and the tension leave his body. That, of course, only seemed to irritate Gajeel more.

"So, this is the guy you're dating?" His voice was harsh, like metal grinding on metal.

She smiled big and leaned into Daichi, his arm automatically wrapping around her shoulders. His grip tightened slightly around her, protective. She blushed slightly which made Gajeel look away, his face visibly upset. Levy looked up at him and leaned into him, rubbing the back of his hand soothingly. Lucy saw the immediate way he relaxed due to her touch but he never stopped flashing Daichi dirty looks. Lucy giggled slightly as Daichi leaned down and kissed the top of her head lightly, as if he was attempting to openly defy the disapproving look that Gajeel was shooting him. Gajeel's lip curled up in a sinister way, about to say something, but he never got the chance.

Just at that moment, Lucy's nightmare came flying through the door.

Happy burst through, tears falling strongly from his eyes as he gasped desperately for more air and called for help. Lucy could barely hear the blue cat, all she could see was the body that Happy was desperately clinging too. Natsu, beaten up badly, blood streaming from a head wound and a sickly white bone sticking out from his arm. His eyes were closed and his skin look extremely pale. Her mind was frozen, her heart beating extremely erratically at the sight of the blood continually dripping down the length of his arm and onto the ground, creating a pool of dark red beneath where Happy flew. The guild burst into action, Mira and Wendy reaching him first. It wasn't until Happy carefully lowered Natsu down to the ground that the shock of what she had just seen subsided and the reality broke her heart.

"NATSU!" Her scream shocked the guild, it tore through her, ripping out from her insides as her voice cracked half-way through his name. Tears poured from her cheeks as she darted from the table, pushing off from her seat so aggressively that she forced Daichi hard to the side. His eyes widened slightly at her but she didn't care. She felt like her world was crumbling around her, the pain of missing him that she had felt for the last month and a half was nothing compared to the intense fear she felt in that moment. She ran as fast as she could towards him, nearly stumbling over her own feet in her desperation to reach his side. She had to be with him. Wendy was working hard to heal him and the rest of the guild had darted into action grabbing medical supplies. Erza, Mira, and Gray were just about to lift him up, concern deeply etched on all their faces, when Lucy collapsed at his side.

"Natsu, oh, Natsu…" She mumbled out through her tears. Her hands were shaking as she reached a hand up to gently wipe the blood out of his face, which only led to her hand getting covered in his blood as more spilled from the deep cut. "Natsu…" Her voice broke as she looked at him. Her whole body was shaking violently, she couldn't stop the tears that wracked her. Her hands shot down to desperately hold onto his. It was limp in her hands, cold. "Natsu, wake up, wake up, wake up, please!" Her voice was desperate, pleading, the only sound that echoed around the guild. The quivering of her voice was completely heartbreaking.

They couldn't wait anymore, Erza gently pried Lucy off of him as they carried him quickly upstairs and to the infirmary. She just stood there, covered in his blood, tears falling down her face, her heart breaking. It was simply, breaking. The whole world was a blur for her. Nothing made sense. She couldn't piece anything together. It all seemed wrong. Nothing was right. She fell down to her knees, landing roughly onto the ground as she collapsed within herself. Her arms curled around her waist as she bent over, letting out a scream that she couldn't hold back any longer. The pain simply exuded from her. She couldn't keep it in. She couldn't hold it back. So, she screamed.

She felt a presence kneel down next to her before arms wrapped around her, pulling her into his chest as tears continued to fall down her cheeks. Her fists grasped desperately at his shirt as she sobbed into him. Daichi was holding her tightly. His head was bowed close to her ear. He was saying something in his calming, low, voice, but she couldn't hear him. It was just a haze of pain, fear, and desperation that clutched at her soul.

It was several minutes before she could pull back from him and actually look at him. He looked concerned for her, truly concerned, but there was a hint of something else behind his eyes. Something that worried her. Her brow furrowed slightly, but she pushed it off. She didn't have time to evaluate his expressions right now. She didn't have time for the protective way he was grasping at her. She didn't have time for him. Her eyes widened slightly at the thought but she immediately pushed it off, muttered a meager apology to him, before darting up the stairs and rushing towards the infirmary.

When she entered Natsu had already been cleaned up, bandages were wrapped around his multitude of wounds, and Happy was clutching desperately to his shoulder. She walked straight over to his side and sat in the small, wooden chair beside the bed. She reached out and took his hand in hers. It was still cold, clammy even. She held it tightly, cherishing the reassurance that yes, he was still alive.

"How is he?" Her voice cracked again. She couldn't get it to behave.

Wendy glanced up at her, a worried and relieved look evident on her face at the same time. "The laceration on his forehead wasn't that bad, it shouldn't even scar. Head wounds just bleed a lot. He has a broken arm, a twisted ankle, and a few bruised ribs." Lucy's face twisted at the list of his injuries. "But, he'll be ok."

Erza glanced at her before walking over and wrapping her in a hug. She leaned back, glanced at Lucy one more time, then left the room followed shortly by Wendy. Gray stood by the other side of the bed, arms crossed against his naked, well-muscled, chest as he evaluated the broken man in front of him. Happy was still crying so Gray sighed before picking up the distraught fur-ball. "Happy managed to tell us that Natsu got the people back who did this, that they were in even worse shape, Natsu just, overexerted himself." Gray glanced at her, worry seeping into his face before he started to head towards the door. She knew he didn't mean for her to hear it, but she still did and it stung her heart. "He shouldn't have been alone…"

Lucy couldn't stop the tears that continued to fall as the guilt ate away at her. She should have been with him. She should have forced him to let her go along with him. She knew, rationally, that he would never have let her go with him once he made up his mind. Still, it ate away at her and she continued to cry over him. Her fingers clutched desperately around his. She jumped slightly when an extremely gentle pressure squeezed around her trembling fingers. Her eyes shot up to Natsu's face just as his eyelids fluttered slowly open.

He gave her a crooked smile when his eyes landed upon her beside him. "Luce?" His voice was soft, as if it was difficult for him to talk, and it probably was with his bruised ribs. She leaned even closer to him, her tears falling down onto his bare and bandaged chest. He reached up his other hand slowly until his fingers touched her cheek, brushing her tears aside. "Luce… I'm gonna kill whoever made you cry." His nose wrinkled with worry before she crashed down upon him. Her arms wrapped carefully around his chest as her head snuggled into the space beside his neck. She turned her head, breathing in the scent that was simply Natsu. He froze beneath her sudden touch for a moment before he wrapped his arms slowly around her, tenderly pulling her closer.

"Natsu you big dummy…" Tears still chocked her voice, making her whole body continue to tremble. His hands rubbed soothingly up and down her back as he muttered out a very quiet 'shhh'. She didn't listen. "Why didn't you just let me go with you? Why? Wh…" She couldn't even get the last word fully out. It refused to fully form. She simply broke down in his arms and cried until she was exhausted. She cried until she had nothing left, until the tears dried up and she could finally form coherent thoughts again. Natsu was still gently rubbing her back until she slowly pulled away and leaned back into the stiff wooden chair. "I was so, so, worried." Her voice was dry and harsh, completely worn out from all of her crying.

Natsu smiled up at her. "It's ok Luce, I'll be fine." His thumb rubbed against the back of her hand and for the first time she realized that he was still holding her hand. She couldn't stop the blush from spreading across her cheeks, but she was pretty sure he didn't notice it due to the redness that was already present due to her crying. "Please, don't cry anymore." His voice was so soft and full of emotion that it made her heart well up. She nodded and grasped his hand tighter, pulling it up close to rest against her chest. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, but not before noticing the slight blush that appeared on his pale cheeks.

She opened her eyes, tilted her head to the side, and smiled a large, genuine, heartfelt smile down at him. "Welcome back, Natsu."

His face was frozen for a moment, that adorable blush still sprinkled across his cheeks, before his lips curled up into a large, goofy grin. She lowered his hand to her lap and just sat there, rubbing his palm soothingly. They stayed like that until he drifted back to sleep. It didn't take him long, she knew that he was still exhausted from his wounds and needed sleep to help him recover. When his eyes drifted closed a sweet smile was still on his face. As soon as he was breathing evenly she found herself leaning forward, her hair cascading down around Natsu's face, encircling him in a golden halo. She leaned down slowly and pressed a gentle, loving kiss onto his forehead. She lingered there, her lips brushing against his skin, smiling at the warmth that was finally seeping back into his blood-drained body. She leaned back, still clutching his hand, when she finally noticed it. Two bright green eyes staring at her from the open doorway.

~ Author's Note ~

Hello, everyone! How are you liking the story? I have almost all of the story written by now and am simply editing. The more reviews I get, the faster I edit and the sooner the chapters will be up! There will only be about two more chapters.

Please, review!

And thank you to everyone who reviewed last time, it means a lot.