Heya! :D Okay, so here I was all busy with packing and stuff and thought that I'd be really sad if I didn't update once more so, yeah.. xD You guys were not the only one who were waiting for some NaLu~ xD So~ Here's chapter 8! :)
Chapter 8: Legendy of the Stars
Lucy was sitting alone on deck, her arms wrapped around her kness, looking at the clear night sky. There were plenty of stars, much more then she could see in Magnolia. It was really calming. She closed her eyes as she started to think about the day.
"I came to find information and it seems I found plenty of it."
"What are you talking about?" Zoro asked with one of his hands on his katana.
"I don't think that's got anything to do with you", the man said coldly, looking down on the swordsman. "I just need to talk with this Blondie and her pink-haired friend about something."
Lucy looked at him and wasn't sure what to think of this guy. He didn't seem like somebody who would slay them any time but judging from the crew's reaction he wasn't to be underestimated either. Unsure what to do she turned around and her eyes met with Natsu's. And it was as though they spoke to her, telling her that she should just do whatever she thinks is right. Straightening her back, Lucy's warm brown eyes stared at the cold ones in front of her.
"I don't think I've met you before", she stated, raising one of her brows.
"That's not exactly true", the stranger – how had Luffy called him just now? 'Trafal-guy.' – smirked. "I was there when Joker and Crux were questioning you.
Lucy's eyes narrowed. "So you've been hiding behind a tree?" Okay, so maybe it wasn't a good idea to provoke this guy but he had been watching the whole scene without helping! Lucy's dislike for him just grew a bit.
"Not hiding. Observing", Trafal-guy simply stated and crossed his arms. "I don't have the time to talk about such trivial matters. What I want to know from the two of you is what you're going to do now." He directly looked into her eyes, as if he was searching for the answer himself.
"What do you mean?" Lucy asked viciously.
"You know, I heard all of your so-called theory and I want you to tell me what you're going to do now. Are you going to find Faustus or are you going to let him catch you?"
"Why should we let him catch us?" Lucy smirked uncertainly.
"If he wants to catch you, he will. He will hunt you and in an attempt to flee you will run right into his trap. Like mice." Trafal-guy's voice was just a whisper but he seemed kind of excited while imagining the scene. The smirk on his face just underlined that impression. This guy was really starting to creep Lucy out.
"Mousers, huh?" Robin suddenly said causing the whole crew to look at her.
The creep simply ignored her and continued to stare Lucy down with his eyes. "So?"
"As soon as we know where he is we will search for him", she said.
Trafal-guy made a fake surprised sound and smirked again. Lucy wanted to just slap that smirk out of his face. "I can tell you."
What? This freak knew where Faustus was?
"He's on the island north-west from here. You should pay him a visit, I'm sure he'd be happy."
And with that he turned around and planned to leave. "Wait!" Lucy said. There was still something she wanted to know.
Trafal-guy turned around, looking at her slightly annoyed.
"Who are you? And why do you care?" Maybe it was a bit late to ask him that now but she couldn't help it.
"You don't need to know" he said and really left.
Lucy opened her eyes and saw the stars again. Seeing them had an amazing effect on her. Maybe it was because she was a Stellar Spirit Mage, she wasn't sure about that, but the stars gave her a warm feeling, making her very comfortable.
She tried to look at the horizon but it was nearly impossible to make it out. The ocean fused perfectly with the night sky. There was no moon today, so the stars were the only thing lighting up this night. A light breeze blew at her from behind, blowing her hair into her face. Lucy sneezed and shuddered a bit.
Suddenly somebody wrapped his arms around her shoulder. She jerked her head around, afraid that it might be an enemy, but it was just Natsu. True what enemy would keep her warm? He would just kill her or abduct her and use her as his toy. Lucy got goose-bumps at the image in her head.
But when did Natsu get here? She didn't even notice. Now that she thought about the situation, she felt the blood rushing into her cheeks. They were warm and probably as red as tomatoes.
"You'll catch a cold", he said and looked at her. "See? Your cheeks are already red, you probably have a fever!"
Lucy laughed at this.
"What?" Natsu seemed to feel insulted. She could understand him.
But she couldn't help it. It was so typical for Natsu to confuse blushing with having a fever. But when did he start to care like this?
"Nothing", Lucy said after she had calmed down and looked at him. "Don't worry, I'm fine."
"Weirdo."
She smiled and leaned her head onto his shoulder, looking at the stars again.
"Why aren't you sleeping yet?" he asked her. She took a glimpse at him and saw that he was staring at the night sky as well.
"No matter what I do I can't fall asleep. What about you?"
"Same."
And then they were silent, didn't say anything. They were just sitting there next to each other and looking at the stars.
Natsu was really warm. She snuggled a bit closer to him, glad that he was here. She wouldn't know what she had done in this world without him. What would have become of her if he wouldn't have jumped after her? She didn't know. Probably because such a thing was impossible. Whenever Lucy was in danger, Natsu would rush towards her rescue; that was certain. She probably depended too much on him but he didn't seem to dislike it and she didn't mind either. He was even warming her up now. She giggled when she thought about Mira's reaction if she saw them like this. At the thought of her and all of her other friends she felt something stab her heart.
"Hey, Natsu", she said dejectedly and felt his head shift a tad – probably to take a look at her face. "I miss Fairy Tail."
Natsu's shoulders tensed up a bit. He probably thought she'd start crying any moment. Seeing as she did not, they loosened up. Funny how Lucy knew him this well.
"Me too." She wasn't sure whether she had really heard him or whether the passing wind just whispered something into her ear. But it wasn't important because Lucy knew that he missed them. He probably missed them even more than she did.
"Don't worry, Luce!" His voice sounded energetic but there was a slightly sad tone to it. "We'll definitely get home soon!" He lay down on the grass and pulled her down with his arm, which was still wrapped around her shoulder. Lucy cuddled against him and enjoyed the warmth he was giving her. And she knew that she would feel warm, even if his body heat would be normal.
Natsu was nervous. Too nervous. Why was he this nervous? They were just laying on deck together. It was nothing special. Heck, he had been sleeping in her bed before! But this was not normal. His heart was racing like crazy and he was extremely conscious of himself and Lucy. This was definitely not normal.
"Natsu", Lucy suddenly said, pulling him out of his own thoughts. He was quite thankful for that.
"Hm?"
"Did you know that there are a lot of legends about the stars?"
Legends? About stars? Who would think of such a thing? It's just stars. "Are there?"
He felt her nodding and suddenly he felt his cheeks get warmer than usual as he realized how close she was again. 'What the hell is wrong with me?'
"Some people say that once a bear was chased by hunting dogs. He was running away from them and reached a cliff. But he did not stop, instead, he jumped into the sky. And the dogs did the same and as they were jumping they suddenly turned into stars in the night sky. Other people say that the constellation of the stars tells when it's best to harvest or fight." Stars telling a person when to fight? Who would listen to that? "There are also people who say that the stars are actually the jewellery from the very first woman in history. And then there are those who say that all of the stars in the sky make up a path towards heaven, that they lead a person to the after-life. But there is one story which I really like."
Natsu was curious now. "Which one?"
"Once upon a time there was a man. That man never had any friends. He didn't want them and thought they were unnecessary. But one day, as he was collecting herbs in the forest, he met a beautiful woman and fell in love with her."
'Of course he would fall in love with her' Natsu thought sarcastically.
"They got to know each other as time passed and they married. Suddenly, the woman fell terribly ill and not a single doctor could help her. A few days later the woman passed away, leaving her husband alone again. Without his wife, the man lost all will to live and was only sitting in his house, not eating and not sleeping. Then, during one night, his wife suddenly appeared in front of him, emitting a warm light. She told her surprised husband that she was worried about him and returned from God to tell her husband that she would not leave again. But as soon as she said that she walked out of the house and disappeared. The man who was even more desperate now looked at the sky to ask God why He was playing with him when he suddenly saw something at the pitch-black sky. The sky which had only been illuminated by the sun at day and the moon at night was suddenly shining a bit brighter than usual. The source of it was a small star next to the moon. And as the man saw the very first star, he saw his wife."
Natsu smiled.
"My mother told me this story when I was little." Lucy's voice had become a whisper but it was very clear. After that, they kept silent again. Each following their own thoughts.
Natsu suddenly noticed that Lucy's breathing had gotten a lot slower and steadier and when he looked at her face he saw that she was sleeping. He got up and carried her into the women's quarters, laying her on her bed and carefully covering her with the blanket. A strand of hair had fallen right into her face and Natsu's hand – moving on its own – brushed it out of the way. He took a long look at Lucy's face and bent down, kissing her cheek. "Good night, Luce", he whispered as he left.
Some NaLu! :D I hope everybody who asked for it is happy now xD Thanks again for all the reviews, favs and follows! :D
So this is the last update for this and the following week (I hope Law is okay xD) Sorry for everybody who was hoping for Law as the love rival but no matter from which perspective I look at it, it seems impossible to me that Lucy would actually take that kind of interest in him. Sorry~~ ^^"
Please tell me what you think about this chapter and I'd very much appreciate it if you guys pointed out any kind of mistakes, so I can fix them! :3
Bye~ ^_^
