A/N: Spoilers up through the Edolas arc, but not beyond. No more arcs will be potentially spoiled after this point. ;) Please no other spoilers in the comments.

Chapter 4: The Heart of Lisanna

When Lisanna landed back in Earth-land, she couldn't look at Natsu and she couldn't look at anyone but Natsu. Her best friend.

He'd cried in the Edolas guild when he saw her.

She finished telling her story. The little group of wizards around her stayed silent.

Lisanna was tired of alarm. She wanted warmth, comfort. She wanted everything to go back to what it had been.

Before she could start crying, she jumped at Natsu and flung her arms around his neck. The hug knocked him to the ground, her giggling on his chest. Natsu reacted like a limp fish, except a lot warmer.

After a few astonished seconds, a gentle smile spread across his face.

"I missed you so much," she whispered. She meant it for everyone, but especially him.

"It's been three years," Erza said quietly. "To the day. Or it was when we got sucked up by the Anima."

"Mirajane and Elfman already left for…her grave," Gray added, glancing at Erza. "If everyone returned to exactly the way they were, they're probably still there."

Lisanna gasped, even as Natsu was helping her up and hugging her back, finally. She wanted to sob over the fact that she had a grave, that people had mourned her—that she'd broken hearts while she was gone. Natsu cried in Edolas...

"Show me," she said, voice catching in her throat.

When the group arrived at the church, her siblings were just two huddled figures at the far end of the graveyard. Colorless and bent, like reeds beaten down by the rain.

Lisanna let out a shriek and sprinted.

"Mira!" she shouted. "Mira-chaaaaan!"

Puddles splashed and cold water drenched her bare legs. Her wet clothes stuck to her, trying to hold her back.

"Miraaaa!" she screamed.

Mira and Elfman straightened. They turned.

Their mouths fell open.

Lisanna crashed into them, Mira's arms locking around Lisanna's waist and refusing to let go. Mira's whole body jerked with weeping as Elfman crushed both girls to his chest with a sob.

Lisanna was crying too. Crying because they were crying. And beyond them, her friends—who were also crying. She could see the pink spots Natsu's cheeks got whenever he shed tears.

Her people were happy again. They were family again.

At the guild, people's shock gave way to absolute delight. She received a thousand hugs. Mira refused to let go of her hand. Lucy and Happy told her all of Natsu's team's exploits. Natsu, stereotypically, picked a fight with Gray, but he was in sight, so that was enough.

People laughed; people drank; people stayed up all night in the joyous ruckus that was Fairy Tail.

I'm back.

It took several days before Lisanna got to hang out with Natsu alone.

When she found out their childhood 'house' was still standing, she practically dragged him out the guild doors. Elfman stopped them to knock heads with Natsu, threatening him with all manner of torture if Lisanna didn't come back.

Lisanna cut her brother off in the middle of "snuff out your fire so you're nothing but a heap of ashes," with a kiss on the cheek. Smiling madly at Natsu, she took off down the steps.

They raced all the way to the woods. Pure joy surged through her muscles beneath the comforting grey sky. At the start of the forest path, Lisanna called up to Natsu, who was now beating her.

"Come back, Salamander!" she yelled, halting and panting fresh gulps of air.

"Mm, smell that?" Natsu asked, smiling as he plodded back to her.

"Of course not." She stuck her tongue out. "What is it?"

"The smell of Lisanna losing to a Dragon Slayer."

His laugh turned into a 'hey!' as she punched him in the arm.

"I'd be in as good of shape as you if I were always pouncing on ice wizards."

"Don't attribute this to Gray! He's got nothing to do with it," Natsu exclaimed, flushing scarlet. Definitely the same old Natsu: mentioning Gray always got him riled up.

"Uh-huh." She grabbed his arm. "Come on."

He looked down at her grasp.

"So I don't get lost." She rolled her eyes. "I'd hate for Elfman to kill you."

Soon a brown dome was visible between the trees. Letting out a squee of delight, Lisanna ran ahead, darting past a tall gray stone which hadn't been there three years ago. She dove into the little house.

"It's exactly like it used to be!" she said as Natsu crawled in after her.

"Of course," he said, lying back and putting his hands under his head. "I had to maintain it so I have somewhere to go when Happy puts a sock on the door."

They sniggered together.

She watched him as he stared up at the ceiling breathing deeply. His skin looked brighter and his eyes more alert: she'd forgotten how much a difference it made for Natsu to be out in nature. She suspected it was the dragon in him that needed room to roam without tromping on people. Natsu just didn't quite flourish in the oppressive indoors.

"So how was it like really?" she asked, settling herself cross-legged across from him.

He tilted his head to look at her. "What do you mean?"

"What happened while I was gone?"

"Pretty much everything Lucy told you the other day."

"You know that's not what I'm asking." She reached over and flicked his arm. "What have you been doing besides forming your little team and going on jobs? Have you beaten Erza yet? Did you ask Lucy out? Did you find Igneel?"

Natsu blinked several times in rapid succession.

"I haven't found Igneel." The disappointment in his voice turned quickly to steel. "Happy and I are still searching. With no help from the obnoxious ice stripper." He frowned. "But I have fought Erza, and I didn't lose. So that's winning, right? And...what was the last one?"

"Have you gone out with Lucy or anyone else?"

She said it with cheerful levity, but her stomach clenched a little. She'd missed so much of his life, and Mira's and Elfman's, and everyone else's. It's not that she wanted the old times back; she'd grown out of the little girl who trusted everyone she met and was in love with the ever-blushing Salamander. But sometimes it scared her how much this world had moved on without her.

"Why would I go out with Lucy?" Natsu's nose scrunched as he answered, cheeks turning the same color as his hair. "Going out with a teammate would be...weird. Would that even work out?"

"Hm, good point," she agreed, though she was curious what he was blushing about. Probing, she teased, "Who could it be then...? Oh, I know: Cana! You and your drinking habits, Natsu."

He chuckled. "Har har, Lisanna."

"But how could I forget?" she went on, grin widening. "There are more Dragon Slayers around these days. You've probably been fooling around with Gajeel."

"Definitely not," he harrumphed. "He hasn't fought me yet."

"I thought you fought during that battle with...uh, Phantom Lord?"

"Yeah, but he promised to fight me again."

"Oh. Of course."

They met each other's gaze for a second before breaking into laughter.

Laughing with Natsu felt freeing. The sun had dipped low enough to peak in the door, throwing yellow fingers across their faces. Natsu closed his eyes against the glare.

"What about you?" he asked.

"Am I going to fight Gajeel?"

"No." He made an exasperated noise and opened one eye. "Did you get with anyone in Edolas?"

Lisanna curled her feet to the side. Pine needles and dead leaves on the floor made a skzsh noise as she moved.

"Yeah," she said, feeling shy, "though Elfman and Mira were protective and infuriating and made things difficult. I fooled around with Levy for a while. Moved in together, before the guilds were disbanded and we went on the run."

One of the holes she couldn't fill here in Earth-land. This Levy was completely different.

"I asked Edo-Natsu out, but he was too cowed by Lucy," she continued. "Then I went on several dates with Juvia to help her get Gray off her back. But he got mad and challenged me to a fight."

Natsu barked a laugh so loud Lisanna actually jumped.

"Gray...and you...fought?" he gasped between laughs.

"I won, of course," she said with a sniff. "Though Mira got super angry at him. She went and beat him up over it."

Natsu was overcome with giggles, rolling onto his side and nearly lighting the dead-leaf floor on fire.

"Can I... Can I tell him that?" he asked, breathless. "He will never hear the end of this. Gray got beat up by both Strauss girls! Separately!"

Lisanna smiled at his mirth. "He wasn't the same Gray," she reminded him, but Natsu didn't seem to care. He stared at the ceiling and shook his head, his grin radiant in the golden light.

Her best friend may have grown, but he hadn't changed. Mind always on food and fights and winning. It was like a fresh breath into her lungs.

As he subsided, Lisanna pulled her knees to her chest. With a deep sigh, she broached the topic she'd been avoiding.

"Natsu, is that a...gravestone outside?"

His smile stopped like a bird hitting a window. He gave her the side-eye and bucked his chin once in affirmation.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, sinking further behind her legs and gazing at him over the top. "I'm sorry I did that to you."

"What are you saying sorry for?" he growled. He rolled over and pushed himself up onto his knees. "You're back now, so you're not allowed to be sad. No one is."

She cuddled down behind her knees, hiding the watery smile that crept across her face.

"Thank you for saying that."

It was something she couldn't ask of her brother and sister. It would hurt them too much to have this conversation. But Natsu was strong enough. He stared at her firmly and nodded.

Before she could say anything more, a high, familiar voice outside called, "Natsuuuu!"

Glancing at each other in curiosity, the Dragon Slayer wriggled out of the hut with Lisanna on his heels.

"Happy?" he asked as the cat descended. "What's up?"

"The team is going on a job," Happy said petulantly. "Erza looks pissed, so I came to fetch you."

"Right now?"

"Mm. It's time-sensitive. Master asked Erza if we would do it." Happy scratched his head. "Oh yeah, and Gray's in trouble and needs your help."