Chapter 3: Moving Forward

"Well, there's not really much about me to say," Lucy fibbed. She glanced towards Natsu to see his disapproving face; he must have noticed her lie. After a few seconds, Natsu smiled. Lucy gulped; she didn't like the look of that smile at all.

"Where did you live Lucy," Natsu asked. Lucy bit her lip, she had to think of a town and fast. She tried to remember the few places she had visited. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind. Lucy looked away feeling guilty; she couldn't face Natsu after saying such an obvious lie.

"Can we talk about something else? Please," she said. Lucy looked at Natsu to see his facial expression lighten up a bit. Just as Natsu was about to say something, the water level started to go down. They both looked forward to see that they were heading right towards a tree. Lucy gasped in shock, unlike Natsu who moved them out of the way. The water then seemed to go away and the two were able to put their feet on the ground.

"Everywhere I look there is nothing but mud," Lucy said in disgust. Natsu looked at her strangely before laughing.

"Of course there is, water and ground makes mud. Plus, there was just a flood of water, what do you expect? Don't worry, a little mud never killed anyone," Natsu teased. He then picked up some mud and threw it at Lucy. Lucy squealed as the mud hit her leg and slip down to her foot.

"Natsu," Lucy yelled as she picked up some mud and threw it at him. The mud hit Natsu's shoulder and he laughed before giving another one of his goofy smiles.

"See, you're still alive so obviously mud has never harmed anyone. Now stop worrying about it and let's move," he said. Natsu then grabbed Lucy's right hand and pulled her along as he started walking. Lucy smiled as she followed; Natsu wasn't so bad once you got past his one track mind.

"Do you recognize where we are," she asked. Lucy looked up to the sky while waiting for an answer. She could see the stars now that all of the clouds had left the night sky. She searched for the Northern Star in her mind, it was always easy to find.

"Yeah, I recognize these parts of the woods. We're close to Fairy Tail, it should take close to a day of walking," Natsu replied. Lucy nodded; she was worried about Erza, Gray, and Happy. Where they safe?

"Do you think we'll run into Gray, Erza, and Happy on our way there," Lucy asked. Natsu shrugged as he looked at her.

"For all I know they could already be there. Now let's hurry to Fairy Tail, maybe we can beat them there," Natsu said. Lucy laughed as she wondered if he turned everything into a game. Truth be told, she wouldn't doubt it. Natsu started running faster. Lucy stumbled over her own feet and nearly fell flat on her face.

"Wait up! You're going to make me kill myself," Lucy giggled as she ran. She tried to keep up with Natsu's speed, but that was impossible. They continued to run through the forest as they made their way towards Fairy Tail. It was then that Lucy realized how much fun she was having. It shocked her - Lucy had never had such fun in her life, not even as a child.

"Thank you, Natsu," Lucy whispered under her breath.

"You say something Lucy," Natsu asked. Lucy smiled and shook her head.

"Nope, nothing at all, now let's keep running," Lucy said. She then picked up the pace as she realized that Natsu was pulling her along again.

"Bring the dragon slayers together Lucy. You're the only one who can, but it'll require a lot of pain and sacrifice. I'm so sorry that it had to be you Lucy," Lucy heard her mother's voice in her head. Lucy help back a gasp. Pain? Sacrifice? What would she lose? Her new found friends? Lucy didn't want to know.

"You ok Lucy? You look like you're worried about something. You're not still worrying about Happy and everyone, are you? They'll be fine," Natsu said happily. Lucy shook her head as if trying to get rid of the thought.

"You're right. Sorry that I worried you," Lucy said. Natsu smiled at Lucy as if to say no problem. Natsu then looked away and sighed. What was she holding back? It was obvious to him that she was lying. Hadn't she noticed that yet? Natsu guessed the answer to that question was no.

If anyone should worry about Erza, Happy, and Gray, shouldn't it be him? He had known them longer while Lucy only knew their names. Natsu shook the thought away; it just showed that she was a caring person. At least, that's what he hoped.

The two were soon walking up a steep hill. The moon was high above them and illuminating the wet grass. It was a beautiful sight, a once in a million shot. They were soon at the top of the hill. The hill overlooked a town.

The town seemed to sparkle as Lucy looked and saw all of the lights glowing. She could see some sakura trees, which she had only seen in books as a child. There was also what looked like a river, or maybe it was a canal. The street lights showered the citizens in a beautiful orange glow. The streets still had a fair amount of people walking. Lucy looked over the town, it was beautiful. She wanted to live there and start over with a new life.

"What is this place," Lucy asked as she stared at the town in complete awe. Natsu glanced at Lucy's face and smiled.

"Welcome to Magnolia Town, home of the Fairy Tail guild. This is also where Erza, Happy, Gray, and I live. Now let's head to the guild," he said.