(This fic has been cross-posted to my Ao3 account, artsy_alice.)

A/N: A prince seeks a fallen star.

This one is loosely inspired by Neil Gaiman's "Stardust", or the movie of the same name if you're more familiar with that.

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BETWEEN YOU

04: Stardust

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"She… literally glows brighter everyday." the man asked as they watched the fallen star running around a meadow of flowers, lightly brushing her fingers against the ones she liked, but never plucking a single bloom.

"Well, that's what stars do, right?" the prince shrugged. "They shine."

Apparently, they also trip. But the blonde woman in the midnight blue dress got up quickly, a light blush dusting her cheeks. She looked towards her two companions, embarrassed. "Y-You saw nothing!"

One of them was a young man with rose-colored hair and dark twinkling eyes. There were traces of ruby red dragon scales in his skin, on the sides of his face, on the back of his neck, and surely more under the cover of his black tattered cloak. He was sitting on a log and trying to stifle his laughter.

The other was an orange-haired prince in regal clothes, a lion's mane in the trimmings of his red cape. His smile was also amused as he leaned against another tree's truck. "Are you alright, Lucy?" he called out.

"Why, thank you for asking, Loke! I'm perfectly fine- Ow!" she winced as pain shot near her foot. She poked experimentally at her ankle and withdrew just as quickly. "I… I take that back?"

Both men then stood to attention and hurried towards her. Loke knelt beside her and examined the injury. "I think you hurt your ankle."

They saw her glow fading. "How do we fix it?"

"Don't walk on it until we get it fixed." Natsu said. "There should be a healer next town."

"He's right." Loke agreed. "We should get going anyway. We can only stop here for so long until the witches or my brothers catch up to us."

The witches wanted Lucy's heart for eternal youth. His prince brothers wanted her necklace because whoever obtained it would be the next King. They were likely to ally with each other soon, but Loke would not let them harm an innocent woman, or their strange new companion.

Lucy was distressed. "How do we get there if I can't walk? Those witches killed our horses…"

"Lucy, please." Natsu rolled his eyes before smirking. "You've got yerself a capable ride right 'ere."

His companions both frowned at him. Lucy looked down. "You don't have to do that..."

He snorted. "Nah, I'm gonna take advantage of this curse while I can."

In a flurry of magical flames, they watched as the man turned to a red fire-breathing dragon twice his original size. The creature gently stooped down as Loke helped their fallen companion stand up on one foot.

This was his cursed form. He was enchanted by one of the witches to guard their lair and do their bidding. Lucy was somehow able to free him from the enchanted chains that bound him, although the curse stayed. After that, Natsu chose to aid the star and the prince in their escape instead.

"Natsu can carry you until we're a good distance to the next village." Loke said, looking out towards the winding road and the hills and forest ahead. He met the dragon's eyes. "Can you handle two?"

Natsu shook his head hesitantly. It would look awkward on a normal dragon, but the gesture suited him just fine.

"I did guess it'll be too much." Loke chuckled. "It's alright. I'll walk. You can fly ahead and warn me if there's anything coming, right?"

Lucy smiled gratefully as the prince eased her on the dragon's back. As she secured herself on her temporary ride, her hand brushed against the thin silver chain in the dragon's neck. It was usually hidden under Natsu's cloak when he was in his human form. She was no witch, but she was no mere human either, and she could feel the dark magic in the item.

She frowned and instinctively clutched at the silver-and-diamond necklace she wore. "Don't worry… When we get to Loke's castle with this gem, he'll be crowned King. After that, we'll find a way to free you from that witch and rid you of this curse, and get me one of those magic candles that will take me home. Right, Loke?"

Loke nodded at her and rested a gentle hand on the dragon's side. "Of course. Even if for some reason I don't get the throne, I'll still do everything in my power to get you both home."

He smiled when he saw that the woman had started to glow faintly again. It was a sure sign that she was feeling better.

With that, he pat Natsu gently and the dragon took off to the sky. As he watched his companions in flight, he hurried to return to the road to start his own trek.

Under the bright sun, he couldn't see Lucy's shine anymore, but that was for the best. It would make it harder for their pursuers to track the fallen star.

As they flew in silence, Lucy rested her head against the back of Natsu's neck and sighed. The dragon made a small rough noise that sounded a lot like a worried question.

"I don't know, Natsu..." she whispered softly. "We're almost there. You'll be free, and I'll be home… back to the sky with my sisters…"

She closed her eyes and clutched her chest again. She had never felt this ache before in her centuries of shining down on earth and the humans.

"It's just sad… I will be up there, just watching you guys… nothing more."

She looked up at the afternoon sky, searching for answers - advise, maybe - but at that time of the day, she could see none of her sisters out there.

"Don't you think it might also be nice if… if after all this, we could still stay together?"

Natsu looked down as well, staying silent.

If he could answer, he would say "yes". It would be nice if they didn't have to say goodbye after this adventure.

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fin.

A/N: They live happily ever after actually but I'm too lazy to write it.