Hello!
Took me more than tow months to update but now done.
Enjoy!
Sorry for the late update of this story.
Chapter Six : An Adventure with you
In their minds, friendship was starting to bloom.
Lucy was panting like crazy, it's like her eyes were ready to pop out anytime soon. Using a huge branch of tree to keep her from walking along the rough pathway up.
"Hey! You're slow come on!" yelled her so called 'company', she grimaced at the idiot while still panting while the dumbass was just looking at her with a toothy grin. Lucy kept on climbing and when she reached where her pink idiot company was she immediately tried to sway the branch of tree against him which he immediately dodge.
"Watch out!" he said, she attempted to smack his head using the branch of tree but she contained herself.
"Are you still angry?" Natsu asked looking at her sweaty face.
"You… asking me if I'm angry?" she said while panting, and Natsu just nodded. She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh and when she opened her eyes, she yelled at him.
"WHO WAS IN HIS RIGHT MIND ASKING HIS FRIEND TO ACCOMPANY HIM, AND TELLING HER THEY'RE GOING ON A NATURE TRIPPING!" she yelled and growled at him, she looked at him and caught him covering his ears.
"Hey this is nature tripping." He casually answered,
"You never said we're climbing a mountain, for Mavis' sake Natsu! If you just told me earlier." She said and made herself slumped on one of the huge rock.
"I am going to tell you, but you agreed faster than I thought, and I thought it was okay so I didn't continue.
Lucy just looked at him incredulously, she never understood what runs inside his mind, and he's very unpredictable.
Earlier
"Luce" Natsu called while sitting on the chair chewing his food.
"Hhhhmm?" Lucy replied while busy preparing some veggy salad.
"I was wondering if you want to go with me for a nature tripping on th-" Natsu was cut out from his sentence when Lucy ran in front of him with a sparkling eyes and head up and down.
"Sure, sure, sure! I'll prepare my things." With that she went to her room and prepared backpack. Natsu just looked at her and shoved a huge vegetable on his mouth and just shrugged.
'She wouldn't mind maybe.' He thought and continued eating.
End
Lucy was pouting, it was already eleven in the morning, good thing it was not that hot. Natsu was busy looking around with a binocular on his hand.
"Ne, Natsu how far are we?" she said, her feet were about to give in. He looked at his watch and then to her and smiled.
"Just a little more." He just said and then focused his attention to the path, Lucy just sighed and followed him.
After almost half an hour, she heard Natsu yelled.
"WOOOHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOO!" he yelled spreading his arms wide and felt the fresh breeze and inhaled deeply. He looked at Lucy who was still struggling to climb and helped her up.
"You know Natsu, if I didn't see any interesting here, I will push you of this cliff and – hhhmmmmfff" he covered her mouth and tilted her head in front and her eyes widened. Natsu felt her and released his hand.
Lucy was in awe over the view in front of her where the clouds were gathering below them and the wide mountains were in view and the sky was clear.
"Wow." She just said and Natsu smirked.
"Now are you still going to push me?" he said tauntingly, Lucy just rolled her eyes and ignored him. They just stood there for a few more minutes in silence while enjoying the view.
"Hey Natsu." She said without looking at him.
"Hhhmm?"
"Let's take a picture!" she said and he nodded, he immediately pulled out his Go Pro. He prepared the device and then they both smiled at the camera. Lucy was the one holding his phone while Natsu was holding the camera up.
While doing shots he put his arms on her shoulders, Lucy was surprised but did not react at all, and well they were having fun.
They reached another stop over, Lucy was overly exhausted and needed to have another round of water. She was panting and her vision was blurry, while her partner didn't shed a single sweat from their last stop over.
'Really? Are you kidding me? Is he even human?'
She thought and sat on a huge rock while her head rested on the branch of tree that she got awhile back.
"Luce, are you okay?" she heard him asked, he was standing in front of her, while drinking the last bottle of their water. That was when she realized about that. Her eyes widened.
"Natsu!" she yelled caused him to drop the bottle and all the remaining contents spilled on the ground and looked at her, her hands was in the mid air reaching for the last drop of water.
Lucy felt like crying.
"What did you do?" she said, energy drained from her system.
"I'm drinking, obviously and now the bottle drop. Why are you yelling?" he said looking at her.
"Natsu that was the last bottle and you carelessly drinking and dropped it on the ground." Lucy said and he snorted crossing arms over his chest.
"That was not my fault, I was stunned by your yelling and don't worry, there is a spring just twenty minutes away from our spot so don't worry about that."
"Really?" she said with a twinkling eyes, and he nodded.
"We better go, so we can have lunch and rest for a bit." He said and started walking. Lucy made and inhale and exhale before walking again.
After twenty minutes
They reached a place and Natsu was right, there was a spring, where fresh water was running. Lucy could see the clear water and it was inviting. She was about to say something to Natsu when her eyes widened at the scene.
He was half naked and currently wiping his upper body with sweat. His tan skin was gleaming against the sun rays, his hair was disheveled and falling in front of his face. She couldn't help but stare, she gulped, and her throat was dry. Lucy didn't know that she was in that state when Natsu noticed her "stare", and he smirked.
"Hey Luce." He called but the blonde was just standing there like a stone.
"Lucy." He intentionally called her louder but nothing heard from her, he slowly walked towards her. He was trying to hide his laughter, the girl was so cute.
Lucy heard like someone was calling her name, but she was busy in her La La Land.
'I want to have a touch, just a pinch.' She thought.
CLICK
She was back at the reality and was surprised that the subject of her day dream was right in front of her looking at her with goofy grin and his phone was in his hand, busy doing shots in her.
"Like what you see Luce, you know it's free just say so." He said raising up and down his brows teasing her and she felt hot all over her face down to her neck and she knew she was smoking due to embarrassment.
She was practically and obviously checking him out.
"Kkkyyaaaahhhhh!"
Natsu fell on his butt on the ground holding his cheek. Lucy punched him on his right cheek. His eyes widened in surprise but couldn't help but laughed.
The blonde was pouting at him still red.
"PERVERT!" she yelled and marched down the far corner and sat on the rock, crossing her hands and puffing her cheeks and was looking away.
Natsu just sat there and he bent his knees up and rested both his arms while still holding his phone and looking at her. Lucy, could feel his stare and was afraid to stare back. Natsu was smirking while doing stolen shots of her.
"Hey Luce, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laughed at you and made fun of you. You were just uhhmmm…" he stopped mid-sentence.
"Cute." He continued that was when she looked at him and their eyes met.
His smirked changed into a genuine smile. She just looked at him and just when her heart started to beat faster.
'Oh my God, what is this feeling? It couldn't be. No. Not him.' Her mind shouted.
She couldn't breathe until something cold was thrown on her face. When she opened her eyes Natsu in the middle of the spring. Signaling her to come.
She stood up with a frown on her face, he extended his hand to guide her down. When she took it he immediately pulled her down causing them to fell on water surface.
He was laughing and she couldn't help but to join them and with that they began the water fighting. He occasionally running behind her and hugging her from behind to prevent her arms from moving, she kept on laughing while wiggling from his grip. She could feel the heat from his body and her hear skip a bit when he put his head on her shoulder, they were still laughing. They just stayed like that for several seconds. Lucy was starting to feel relax from his heat when he disentangled himself from her. She was slightly disappointed.
'Why am I disappointed? It's not like I like his touch.' She scolded herself.
She was having an inside battle when Natsu spoke.
It's really beautiful here, few people coming in here.
"Like you know this place!" she said.
"Of course I've been here numerous times, sometimes with Stripper and Metal face!" he said making himself comfortable on one of the stone in front of her
"For what?" she asked
Natsu inhaled deeply before answering.
"There is an animal sanctuary here, sometimes once a month I visit those and check them. Usually we're on group but sometimes I go by myself, just for a change. I like to go alone." He answered while looking up, admiring the beauty of nature surrounding them.
"You're a nature lover." She stated unconsciously. He looked at her smiling and nodded.
"Yeah, I grew up near the woods and lake till I was seven, before our family moved here in the center of the city. But we still visit our old house. Gajeel and Gray were my childhood friends and Erza, we always hang out together and so as our other friends in Fairy Tail High."
"How 'bout you?" he asked
Lucy followed Natsu's gaze and closed her eyes.
"I was raised indoors." She simply said, and felt Natsu's gazed to her but she just continued.
"I was always sick when I was child. I never went to school, I spent my elementary days in our house, I have my tutors and teachers." She said and then she looked at the free water running down.
"So new things for me were like Wow." She said now looking at him smiling. She didn't want to continue her story. It wasn't interesting, for her. Natsu looked at her for long before smiling but in truth he wanted to know more. Maybe next time when they talked like this. It's like Lucy wasn't happy talking about her past.
"Let's go! The sanctuary is near." He said and with that they immediately change and went to another thirty minute walk.
"We're here!" he said with open arms. Lucy was surprise it was a vast land and she could see a lot of different animals. There are few people who were looking out to the creatures. It's like a mini zoo, but it's wide.
Natsu guided her to the wooden gate with a name carved on the wood.
Magnolia's Sanctuary
"Hey Natsu!" Someone called him
"Warren!" they tapped each other's shoulder as form of saying hello.
"How are the little ones?" Natsu asked looking around.
"Great, but Nana needs to be check. She was a little bit odd the past few days." The guy named Warren said and then his eyes fell on her. "And who's the lovely blonde lady?" he said.
"Oh, I forgot. This is Lucy. Lucy this is Warren." Lucy smiled and Warren held her hands which made her flinched.
"Such a lovely girl." He was about to kiss her backhand when Natsu's hand blocked it and smooched his hand on the guy's lips.
"Shit man!" Warren hissed slapping his hand.
"Enough of that. Let's go Lucy, I want you to meet one my favorites here." He said pulling her away from Warren's eyes.
"That guy was odd." She said looking back, he just laughed.
"Yeah right. But he's good. He was the main care taker here."
They stopped in front of a room and Natsu started to put some gloves and prepared his equipment. When he was ready he signaled Lucy to follow him.
Lucy saw a huge cage, wonderin' what animal was inside.
Her face contorted and her eyes widened when she saw what was inside and took a step back. Natsu was opening the cage with a smile.
"Hello Nana!" he yelled and immediately went down. "Lucy I want you to meet – " he stopped when Lucy was at least five meters away from him.
"Hey come here! Nana wants to meet you." He said grinning and Lucy just shook her head.
Well she couldn't get closer because Natsu was holding a full grown Burmese Python.
"I – I aaaahhhh I can't. Natsu, y-you're holding a – a s- snake." She said while pointing the python who was busy crawling on Natsu's arms.
"She's not harmful. She' good. I raised her." He said and kissed the snakes head, made her more frightened.
"No, no, no I'm sorry. I- I'm a-af-afraid of snake." She said shaking her head and waving her hand, she was sweating like crazy. Yes, she has a phobia in snake. She couldn't even get closer to the animal. Natsu saw her frightened face and understand her situation, he grinned.
"Sorry Nana, I guess my friend couldn't meet you." He then started inspect the snake's behavior and noticed that there were something on its skin. He called some helpers to have Nana lifted in order to weigh her and get a hold of the snake. Lucy was just observing the other animals. She saw Peacocks, Hawks, Monkeys, Ostrich and many rare animals. Each have caretakers to feed them and groom them.
She was busy admiring the animals and didn't notice Natsu. Then she felt hot breath on her left ear.
"Yaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" she immediately elbowed whoever the bastard that was behind her.
"Uuuuhhhmmppfff!" she looked back and her mouth opened due to shocked. Natsu was holding his stomach.
"Oh my Gosh Natsu, sorry I didn't mean to." She said placing her hand on his forearm.
"Geezz Luce, why are you so damned violent when it comes to me?" he said still wincing.
"It was just called instinct. There are many perverts around the place, so I need to be careful and defend myself. And don't act like one if you wanted to still have kids. Be glad I didn't cut those." She said pointing to his lower body particularly "that". His eyes widened and covered it like it was exposed. Lucy couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Ha.. Ha.. Ha.. Very funny." Natsu said sarcastically but he grinned afterwards.
Lucy stopped her loud laughing, it's been a while since she laughed like that. The reason was this guy. She smiled at him and suddenly they both heard aloud grumbling of her stomach indicating that she was already hungry.
Natsu raised his right brow smirking
Lucy just shrugged.
"I'm hungry." She said
The next thing was they were unpacking their lunch and started to eat.
While munching their lunch Lucy spoke.
"You know Natsu it's beautiful here. I want to come back." She said.
"Just tell me, I'll gladly bring you again." He said, Lucy smiled at him.
"Thank you, Natsu." She said softly, which made him looked at her. And in that instant they felt something weird. They just stared to each other for longer, before they felt hot on their face and quickly looked away.
"I- ah, it's nothing Lucy. That's what are friends are for." She nodded and turned her attention to her food.
The rest of the day spent on Natsu checking the animals and took Lucy on a tour with occasional teasing.
Lucy was starting to feel something weird whenever her best friend was around her. Well she considers Natsu as her best friend despite the fact that they only knew each other for quite some time, though they had a bad beginning. She felt so relaxed and at ease with him. She can be just her without pretending. She doesn't know the weird feeling that was slowly overtaking her heart. Was it Love, she didn't know.
One thing for sure she was starting to like him very much.
When they came back from the trip, both of them were laughing and teasing each other. Natsu put his arm on her shoulder, while continue with their funny conversation. That was until Natsu stopped dead on his tracks leaving Lucy puzzled, he was looking straight. She followed his gaze and saw someone standing on the lobby of their apartment building.
"Natsu!" The girl called and smiled
Natsu just looked at her wide eyes and then Lucy heard him say.
"Lisanna."
'Oh no….' she thought
And she's back...
More and more ex related stories and unidentified feelings on the following chapters.
Well, this chapter was a bit no romance at all, but i enjoyed writing it. it's like just a little adventure to them.
Thanks for waiting!
Till next Chapter!
jamneechan
