The restaurant she had chosen was packed with people, but they managed to get a table in the corner where they were hidden from curious looks.
"God I´m dying over here." Natsu complained when they were waiting for the food to come, Lucy couldn´t help but smile. Food would never leave his heart, which was something good to know.
"What are you sitting and smiling about?" he wondered with his head in his palms as he rest on the table.
"Nothing, just some old memories." Lucy teased him by doing the same thing, making them look like two retards but she didn´t care when this dark atmosphere could hide them.
"I´ve really missed you Lucy." Natsu suddenly said. He seemed so serious that she didn´t dare to laugh or even smile, she just nodded. "I mean, I´ve missed the whole guild. It´s not fun to be without everybody."
It was like a stone dropped in her chest and she sat straight again when the food came, making Natsu almost forgot everything as he started to eat like a wolf… or dragon. She didn´t have an appetite anymore and mostly played around with the food, waiting for Natsu to return from his heaven.
"So what´s up?" Natsu asked as he started to eat from her untouched plate too.
"Nothing really, I´m more interested what you have been doing." Lucy admitted, ignoring him stealing her food as well.
"Saving the world…" Natsu joked but with a dark tone in his voice.
"Fine if you don´t want to tell me I don´t care, but are you done? Is that why you returned?"
Natsu sighed and dropped the fork with a little clang.
"I´ve been an S- class for, 5 or 6 years now…" he stated suddenly, making Lucy confused.
"Yeah so?" she laughed little. "You and Grey passed the same time I remember because I was there."
Natsu didn´t seemed glad to hear the Grey part, but didn´t comment it. "Sure, and a few year later, Wendy become S- class."
"She´s really good, you should see her fight." Lucy said. "Wait how do you know about that? She became S- class when you were away."
Natsu frown. "Makarov told me, when he came to get me a week ago."
"Wait, Master came to get you? Why?"
"I can´t say. You will know in time." He smiled evil. "That's why Grey´s here too."
"So how long have you been finished with your mission and what have you been doing instead?" Lucy shouldn't feel so abandoned by that information, but she did and didn´t like it one tiny bit.
"The mission took med two years, but I had a few mission after that un top of each other, and also searching a little…" he didn´t like to talk about this, she could see that but wouldn´t drop it.
"For Igneel you mean? Did you find something?" she knew how important his father was but couldn´t help sound irritated, if he was just searching then she could have helped him, or he could just have come home and said hello, letting her know that he was alright.
"Maybe, I´m not sure yet." He answered cold, this was not a good day for their friendship. Lucy had never felt something that fragile before, but right now they were barely friend, just two strangers trying to understand one and each other.
"What my point was before why it is that you haven´t become S- class Lucy…"
There it was, the reason why he wanted to talk or something. Why did he care about her level?
"No I haven´t so what?" she was tired of this game and crossed her arms over her chest, glower at him.
"Well, since the new S-class competition is coming up I just wonder why, and master told me that you´ve been invited to compete the last 5 years but refused?"
It was true, she could have joined the S- class a few times already but never did.
"Just say what you´re trying to say…" she sighed, tired and wanted to go home now.
"I want you to become an S- class wizard, you´re definitely good enough for it."
"No!" Lucy answered and stood up. "I´m glad that you´re home Natsu, but you have nothing to say about this decision. I´m tired and ready to go home."
"Okey, I follow you."
"Actually no, I think I will go alone." Lucy stopped him. "I will see you tomorrow right?"
He nodded.
"Here, your jacket."
But he stopped her before she could take it off. "Leave it on, please. And return it tomorrow."
"You´re hopeless." She muttered but kept the jacket and then went home.
It felt like sleeping on nails tonight, it was really a battle against time as she turned back and forth, thinking about the evening with Natsu and the next day. She should be happy about Natsu returning, but all she could feel was pain and most confusion. It drove her insane to think about him, sure she figured him to grow up sooner or later but why now? When she still felt like a child that never would grow up, hell Wendy felt older than her, with a boyfriend, S- class and all the time in world to fight bad guys with Romeo.
Sure she had been dating, meeting really nice guys and even went out with a few a couple of time. But it seemed that boyfriend didn´t fit in her story.
"Damn this." She snarled in her pillow and watched how the sun started to rise outside. With a light yawn she decided to get up and take a long bath before going to the guild.
In Fairy Tail it was still silent, mostly of the guild members were sleeping on the floor. Celebrating the festival had, like always, gone a little too far.
"Natsu, where are you going?" Lisanna wondered she was the only one up except for Natsu and caught him in the act of leaving the guild, the dragonslayer had stayed all night here, but she hadn´t seen him sleeping. Just sitting there, with a beer in his hand, laughed sometimes when someone in the guild talked to him. But never searched for contact or made a scene like old Natsu would have done.
"I don´t know, a walk around the town maybe…" he answered her and then smiled. "Congrats, I heard that you got engaged. But Laxus? Are you sure?" he joked with the take over mage. She just smiled though.
"Yeah, he´s pretty great. And how about you, no ladies on your adventures?"
Natsu laughed. "When would I find the time to meet any?" but then he got serious. "Lisanna, do you know why Lucy don´t want to become an S- class wizard?"
Lisanna sighed, maybe Natsu could change her mind but this was bigger than that.
"I think she got her heart broken, and blames the competition…" she answered him slowly.
"By whom? I will kill him." Natsu growled dangerously. Lisanna couldn´t help but laugh, just something never changed how long time would past.
"You don´t know him anyway." She hurried to say. "No one does, Only Lucy and she never talks about it."
"Well I´m back for now, so she should start talking." He complained. "Not trying to arguing and fighting everything."
"Yeah because you have been a sweetheart since you come back." Lisanna said harsh.
"Okey, I get your point." Natsu said and smiled. "See you later then!"
"Bye Natsu."
A few hours later Lucy had entered the guild to find everyone starting to wake up. She just smiled and sat down, watching her friends sober up.
"Rough night?" she teased Gray that order some water next to her.
"Sort of, by the way were where you? I wanted to buy my friend a drink." He blinked at her started to drink his water.
"So what are you going to do today?" Lucy asked him, she hadn't drink anything yesterday but felt just as drunk after no sleep tonight.
"Stay here and find out." Grey said with a light laugh before he went silent.
Lucy turned around just to see what made him silent, Juvia had entered the guild. She had let her hair grown down and it suited the water mage very well. After Grey disappeared she had finally given up on the ice boy and started to focus on herself instead which made her easier to be around, but sadly she was almost always on mission or trapped by dating.
"Juvia." Lucy called her name. "I didn´t know you would come back today."
"Lucy… oh hello Grey. Master managed to locate you too I see." Juvia smiled. "Yes I´m back for some time."
"Okey, can someone tell me what's going on?" Lucy asked annoyed. Why had Master gathered all of them here, this were starting to get tiring.
"Good you are all here." Master suddenly said behind them. "Let´s begin then."
"Am I late?" Natsu asked with a smile as he showed up next to them.
"You seem to be just in time." Lucy answered very low, but knew that he could hear her with that sensitive hearing of his.
"Today I´m going to present this year S- class candidate." Makarov said as he stood on top of the counter.
The guild started to cheering, if anybody were still asleep they would be wide awake now. Lucy however wanted to disappear, she started to back away to one of the backdoors but an arm stopped her.
"Stay." Natsu asked low. "Just listen and decide later."
Lucy felt like she didn´t have much choose and stood still, she wish that Natsu would take away his arm but he held it steady on her back, making her tremble.
"This year we have a great number of wizards that will get the chance to become S- class. First out is Levy McGarden, Chico Hammitt, Max Alors, Romeo Conbolt, Lisanna Strauss and Lucy Heartfilia."
Lucy was impressed, this year he had choose some interesting individuals. But she still didn´t want to compete and was just about to open her mouth when Makarov continued.
"This year I also invited some of our S- class wizard to help me with the trial. Let me introduce Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Juvia Lockser, Wendy Marvell and Laxus Dreyar."
Lucy was the only one who went silent; rest of the guild seemed to love the idea of them fighting against this monster. How could she ever go now when she could possible fighting Natsu or Gray or even worse Wendy? It felt wrong that they already done so much and she were stuck here on the same place like always.
"Still feel like not going?" Natsu whispered. She remembered that he was next to her and tried not to seem surprised.
"More than ever…"