Author's Note: Lookie here! I was pretty fast! I won't complain about school this time, since I might as well just suck it up and deal with the marks I'm getting, but once again, I'm so grateful by all the support you guys have been showing this story. Thank you to each and every one of you for sparing the time to drop me some feedback and encouragement! They've helped me push through some of the toughest weeks of school I've had so far.

The last chapter was very well received (due to Natsu's hotness, I'm presuming. Heh.) and I'm hoping you guys will like this one just as much, even though it doesn't have the same intensity as the last one. Possession actually came to life because I wanted to write the scene at the end of this chapter. Well, gee, it only took me a year to actually get to write it. Aren't I patient?

Why did Natsu forget last chapter? Well, I kind of equated his Lucy-induced state to being drunk. Hence, he forgot everything. That chapter was mainly to help nudge Lucy forward too. You'll see in this chapter.

Anyway, one last thing: this is going to be the last update for at least another three weeks, unfortunately. I have a lot of projects to work on and finals are coming up, so I won't be working on this story until the end of the semester. Hey, I think you guys have proven to be pretty patient with me anyway, so it won't be so difficult, right?

Instead of feeling sad, please love this chapter and proceed to read it many times until I can update again. :)

The ending scene was inspired by MyAibou's YGO Revival Series (Part II, chapter 11). I credit her for this scene.

Possession by HawkofNavarre

Chapter 10 - Rumination

Lucy had never been one to avoid a friend because of a problem. Yes, she did succumb to it occasionally, but not now. Right now, she was just trying to figure out how to maintain a straight face while she was secretly freaking out about her best friend. They'd…"made-out", as the gentle way of putting it. Things could never be normal for her again.

Thing was, he didn't remember it at all.

How was she supposed to live with herself knowing the dirty details of that situation while he didn't? Natsu seemed to accept what he felt transpired that day so long as she was okay with it too. Well, the summoner had come to terms with his part in the whole thing and so she let him escape from the feeling of shame for any longer. She, however, was completely appalled at her own lack of logic when it came down to that first lip-lock when she stepped through the front door…or rather, she was shocked by the way her body had reacted—mostly because it had been instantaneous and completely instinctual. Lucy would even go so far as to say that she was a little disturbed by herself for letting go on for so long.

She was so confused with herself. The blonde, admittedly, was somewhat attracted to her friend but she didn't just comply with a surprise kiss because of attraction. She had morals! Still, she couldn't understand why she hadn't reached for her whip (which hadn't been there anyway and was the reason she'd ended up spraying "stinky" perfume in Natsu's face) the moment things had gone weird. She would have done it to any other guy—a well-practiced technique after receiving so many pinches to the tushie.

Sadly, that wasn't even the worst part. No, that wasn't even close to the worst part. The worst part was the inevitable truth that she'd pushed it further, made it dirtier, and crossed all sorts of red-lines. At that time, she'd wanted him. Rational thought had flown out the window and she'd surrendered to hot, raw intensity.

What the hell was wrong with her? She enjoyed the whole predicament way more than she should have. "Should have" would be that she'd hated it. The truth? The memory of that day still made her heart palpitate uncontrollably and her face flood with red. It hadn't repulsed her at all. No, it made her hot.

Earthland, this was her best friend. She wished she could jump out of her own body and grab a stick so she could beat her own head with it. The blonde looked at herself in the mirror on the wall of her bathroom. She was a pretty girl. Guys should be throwing themselves at her! She'd have her pick and wouldn't have to deal with things like this.

It wasn't a matter of Natsu being below her spectrum; it was the fact that he didn't exist in any spectrum. He didn't have interest in romantics and she wholly respected this fact. On top of this, they'd built a nice niche together. Why was there a horrid prick in her mind that wanted to change this?

Lucy wandered tiredly into the bedroom, only dressed in some casual lingerie. She flung herself onto her soft bed, limbs splaying out as she prodded at her problems once more. Levy would be coming over here soon to prepare for the annual spring festival. It would be nice to get these things off her chest, but even while the solid-script mage had vowed to support the blonde in whatever she was feeling, it was impossible to tell her about this. There were too many people that she wanted to prove wrong and Levy remained one of them. It would be utterly ludicrous to admit anything to her friends, let alone admit it out loud to herself…

But…she remembered Natsu holding her. He was her rock; he kept her grounded and he cared for her like nobody else did. She had held his hand and hers fit together with his so naturally that she was shocked that she'd only noticed it now. He'd nursed her through sickness like it was his job to make her okay and stayed by her while she'd been craving for the one person who could make her feel better. He'd made it so that…perhaps there was now one more.

The summoner closed her eyes, the image of the ceiling fading away. Sweet Edolas, she could practically feel his hot mouth moving down her neck like trails of magma that melted any rational thought away. She unconsciously fingered the possessive mark he'd left on the base of the right side of her neck. The memory triggered the tingling sensation that had shot up and down through her body to repeat itself. It was so thrilling, his touch… It was too easy to want more of his addictive mouth on any part of her, but it was much more difficult to admit that she absolutely craved it. It had been hard to think of anything else all week. Besides, Natsu was pretty damn hot—no pun intended—and that made thinking about him all the more pleasant.

Oh dear Mavis, she was turning into the creepy girl she'd always resented.

A knock on the front door rescued Lucy from the horror of herself. Quickly, she thanked the heavens before getting up to grab a robe. The blonde hurriedly wrapped it around her body and went to greet her guest downstairs. Unsurprisingly, when she opened the door, Levy was standing there with a large bag in tow, ready to have some seriously girly fun.

"Hey! I'm on time, aren't I?" the blunette asked with an unrelenting grin.

The stellar spirit mage managed to smile back, remembering that this was not time to be worrying about her issues with Natsu. "Perfectly."

"Alright then! Let's go to your room. I promise I'll make you look positively gorgeous," Levy declared confidently as she stepped through the door. "No guy will be able to withstand your beauty."

Lucy laughed softly, closing the door before following the solid-script mage to her room. She wanted to remain cheerful, honestly, but really, all she could feel was the turmoil churning inside of her.

True to her word, Levy had made the summoner look absolutely stunning. She was donning a light blue kimono with patterns of periwinkle blossoms and Levy had put her hair up, leaving some of her bangs hanging in the front while a dark blue flower hairpin was stuck through where her hair was tied. This look had her talking to different guys all night! She hadn't been able to enjoy the food yet or even go look for some of her friends. Obviously the town's spring festival wasn't only for her guild, but she'd rather be with someone familiar while she was looking at the night's goodies instead of some guy wanting to get in her pants. Seriously, she had six numbers already and the night wasn't even close to finished. She was flattered, but she really had no intention of calling any of these men in the future.

"…personally prefer okonomiyaki over taiyaki, but everyone's different, don't you think?" the current guy borderline-stalking her asked. She had been, quite frankly, tuning out his disinteresting banter and hadn't a clue of what he'd been babbling on about.

"Hm, yeah, sure," Lucy replied without any real enthusiasm. This man didn't fascinate her at all and she just wanted him to go away.

"I knew you'd think so! That's why…" she heard before she turned her attention elsewhere once again. Her stomach was growling… Perhaps some deep fried squid would do her some good? She'd need energy if she was going to dance later.

Searching for a food booth, rosy hair caught her eye instead. The celestial mage didn't even bother listening to the reasons rapidly firing across her mind as to why calling out to him might be a bad idea. He could save her from this nightmare!

"Natsu! Over here!" Lucy shouted over the noise of the crowd as well as the nonsense exiting the trap of her source of misery.

She thanked the heavens for the second time that day when the dragon slayer heard her and made his way over. Giving him a once-over, she immediately decided that his sense of formality was severely skewed. He was wearing his regular outfit besides the fact that his vest was replaced with a nicer, unopened one. It was actually disappointing that she didn't get to see him wearing something pretty.

It was also disappointing that she didn't get to ogle his abs in this time of despair.

Shit… There it was again.

"Hey, Lucy…" the dragon slayer greeted casually before turning his gaze to the pest beside her, eyes narrowing, "…and guy."

"Lucy! You look pretty," Happy, who she'd just noticed near the ground complimented. It was a bit of a relief to see him on her part. This way she wouldn't have the chance to be alone with Natsu and act like a moron because of what she knew.

"Thanks, Happy." She smiled at the feline, inwardly thanking him for more than that statement.

"Indeed, she does look like a flower—one bloomed in the pale moonlight, does she not? When I first laid eyes upon her, I was breathless—speechless…she took away any words I could say as her beauty struck me deep within my soul," the man next to her proclaimed dramatically, offering her a dazzling smile that could turn any girl's knees to jelly.

Lucy nearly failed to repress a look of repulsion in return. She almost felt nauseous by that sickening display of melodrama. A couple of years ago, she might have been utterly floored by such a declaration, but being in Fairy Tail had certainly changed that. This false chivalry was a joke! She wanted real, raw emotion and unmatched passion when it came to a man now. Those were traits that most of the members of her guild had, and now the blonde found that shallow feelings and enticing words were no longer adequate.

Jeez, if he was actually speechless, why hasn't he shut up for the last half hour? She mused, trying very hard not to roll her eyes. Instead, she forced a fake smile and said, "Oh, how…nice of you."

For Natsu, though, subtlety just didn't cut it. "Flowers can't bloom in moonlight; they need sun. Man, you're kind of stupid."

The stellar spirit mage stifled her laughter, but was unable to conceal her amusement by the insult. The guy following her around looked like he got hit by a giant Exceed and his face had stuck. She was certain that his flirtatious comments had never been received quite like that before.

"And the only thing that could penetrate your soul is magic," Happy added. Unfortunately, her stalker was still too shocked by the first comment to even acknowledge the second. Lucy took this as her way out.

"Natsu, Happy, let's go get something to eat!" she suggested urgently, nudging them away while she shuffled her feet.

Miraculously, the guy snapped out of his stupor. "Wait, Luce! I didn't get your number!"

"Don't worry; I'll call you," Lucy replied, the smile on her face faltering in anxiety as she began to shove Natsu away faster through the crowd.

"But I didn't give you my number!"

"Oh, no, no, I'm pretty sure you did!"

Once they were a decent distance away from the terror that was the most boring gnat of Earthland, Lucy stopped pushing her partner and let out a sigh of relief. Maybe now that she was away from some of these ridiculous males, she could finally enjoy the festival and perhaps eat some food. She was starving!

"Alright, let's finally get some food!" she cheered eagerly.

However, the fire-eater simply stared at her like she had grown a third head.

"What?"

"You wanted to get away from that guy?" he asked in disbelief.

"Well, yeah. He was boring and shallow. What about it?"

"You just… You usually get mad when I make one of those guys run away," Natsu responded doubtfully.

"And you can yell pretty loudly," the cat chimed in.

"Gee, thanks," Lucy drawled humourlessly, then turned to address the fire mage. "Sorry, Natsu. I guess I finally outgrew idiots."

"So you agree that all those past guys were dumb."

"Well… Yeah…"

Thinking back on it, all those guys she'd dated were stupid choices. She'd gone after lookers or guys she thought had things in common with her, but none of those pricks had ever wanted to learn things about her. It now appeared that all those dates had been a colossal waste of time. She could've done a lot more missions, gotten loads more experience in battles, and become a more independent person.

Hm…and she was just figuring this out now? That kind of sucked. Oh well. There were more important things at the moment, like…

"Can we please get some food now? I've been here for two hours and all I've had is a butt-load of jerks hitting on me," she whined, her hunger getting the better of her. She never would have cursed beauty until this night.

"Sounds good. What do you want?" Natsu asked, scratching his head, a sign that he'd already resigned any power he had to resist her requests tonight.

"I was thinking deep fried squid," she answered as she glanced around for a sign, but Happy had already taken to the air.

"There's a booth straight ahead and to the—ooh, fried fish!"

"Happy," she groaned.

"Right, it's straight ahead and to the right—ooh, it's Charle and Wendy! Gotta go!"

There goes my chaperone, Lucy sighed mentally. She stared forlornly at the pair of wings that flew further and further away from where she stood. Somehow, she always seemed to end up alone with her partner—this time, the situation being radically different from all the ones before. She was painfully aware of the blush already staining her cheeks as her mind fluttered inevitably to that day and her eyes to his lips.

"I think I see it," the dragon slayer announced with a nod, his voice violently wrenching her back to reality. "Come on."

She nodded, blinking at his calmness regarding food. Natsu was a pig. Why didn't he seem more eager to go eat? "Hey, aren't you excited to try some of the food?" she inquired while she kept closely behind him.

"Not really hungry," was his surreal response. "Gray and I had an eating contest during the first hours of the festival, so I'm pretty stuffed." Natsu paused for a moment, pushing passed an overweight man and a group of rough-looking guys before grinning. "I think I could eat more if they have flaming squid though."

Lucy found herself grinning as well. He was so incredibly predictable. The thing that did surprise her was that his clothes were still clean, meaning his and Gray's pig-out session hadn't been completely out of control. Besides, that kind of thing was gross—yet another turn off.

Really, she was going to end up weighting the pros and cons of this mess someday…

At the very least, she took some consolation from the squid she was munching on a few minutes later. It took a lot of will power not to inhale the entire portion like some people did. That control gave her satisfaction and had her laughing at his displeasure while he pouted because no flaming squid had been available.

They walked around the different booths for a while, Lucy picking up food and Natsu frowning at the lack of fire-foods in turn. Somehow, it didn't feel different or wrong. It felt natural; certainly more natural than she expected after their awkward encounter. Granted, they'd seen each other since then, but she had been the only one to actually know what had gone down that day and it fell upon her to act normal so that he would be normal. She felt natural today. She felt normal.

"Lucy! Hey!"

The summoner felt her stomach plummet to her feet as soon as that horrid voice reached her ears. Great; she'd gotten rid of one boring nut only to free herself for fifteen minutes before being slammed by another. She figured she could have been the protagonist of a good horror story with the way her night was turning out.

Alas, Lucy had a hard time being rude to people she didn't know very well, so she plastered yet another false smile on her face as he approached. What was this creep's name? Shikon? Shoujo? "Ah, hey, Shouji…"

"Shinji," he corrected her quickly, brushing a hand through his spiky, black hair. "Yeah, where'd you go? I thought you and I were gunna catch a goldfish together."

Oh, she was sure he did think that. "No, Shinji, I said I was going to meet a friend and that I'd call you." …Not that either statement had been true, but she didn't really see the harm in keeping that fact from him.

"Really? I don't remember, babe. Why don't we go now?"

He was handsome, definitely, but Lucy had never had a stronger urge to smack a guy so hard that his nose bled. "I don't think so," she replied firmly, moving away as he advanced. How she wished she had her whip right now…

"Come on, Luce—"

"She said 'no'," Natsu growled out of nowhere, stepping in front of her protectively. Lucy gaped in awe as she saw the ferocity that was burning in his eyes. His voice had all the conviction "Shinji" needed, but he really didn't look like he was joking around either.

She could see how tense he was, muscles rippling as he clenched his fists. The glare he was giving could have burned holes through Gajeel's head and then some. The way he was trembling made her feel incredibly nervous.

There was something different about him. Yes, he normally would get riled up so easily, but it was something else. That glint in his eyes was almost feral, like he could pounce on the man standing in front of him and smash him into a bloody piece of meat. They were open books. They were telling anyone who bothered to look, "Touch her and die."

Natsu was damn serious. He was going to end this guy.

Deciding that "death" was not one of the things she wanted to deal with tonight, Lucy gently grabbed onto his forearm, hoping it would have some effect. "Natsu…"

Her efforts were rewarded when she felt his muscles relax and the shaking that had taken over his body ceased. Relief flooded over her when that dangerous look faded away. She could see him struggling to make sense of what had come over him, so instead she looked at Shinji.

"You should go," the celestial mage advised the persistent loser, grasping her partner's arm a little more tightly.

Shinji only nodded in silence, apparently scared out of his wits. She didn't blame him. If Natsu were anyone else, she'd probably be searching for a hole to huddle in right now. He normally didn't look like that unless someone had threatened a guild mate (she honestly didn't think this qualified) or the guild itself. Obviously there had been some stubbornness, but she hadn't been in any real danger. Lucy had the capability of protecting herself, if it came to that. She still had her keys.

The creeper disappeared as quickly as he'd come and her best friend had visibly calmed down. He looked embarrassed by his actions and suddenly Lucy felt like there were too many people around. She didn't want his vulnerability to be displayed to the world. This momentary lapse was only his business.

"I think I've had enough for one night," the key-user told him, carefully leading him toward the exit. "Walk me home?"

The surprise was evident in his face, but he complied with a hasty nod. The blonde was glad to get out of there anyway. She had taken into consideration the attraction she'd been worrying about all afternoon too and decided that Natsu needed her right now. She wondered if it was a dragon slayer thing or just something that had pushed his darker emotions to the surface. Either way, she was going to help him through it.

The walk back to her house was painfully quiet. Lucy definitely wanted to ask after what had triggered such an intense response, but she knew better than to push him when it came to things like this. Natsu was far more fragile than he let on about certain things and she was one of the very few who had ever seen the broken side of him.

"Lucy, I'm sorry," he finally spoke as they walked alongside the canal.

She dully note that they'd been apologizing to each other way too much lately as she pondered as to whether he was actually ready to talk about it or not. The celestial mage took her chances. "Why'd you do that, Natsu? You know I can deal with guys on my own," she replied, trying to keep the questioning light. She hopped up onto the ledge and took small steps in her sandals.

"Yeah, I just… I didn't like how he talked to you," Natsu admitted, eyes down and fists clenched again. "He was talking to you…like he owned you."

Lucy's mind reeled abruptly. "You belong to me." The words echoed in her mind when her sandal scraped the ledge at an odd angle and she felt the world tilting. Those rowers had always told her to be careful—and she had been until now. She supposed her falling would have come eventually. Why not now when those crazy words were swirling in her head?

She felt his arms stabilize her from the side and she toppled into him in a loss of all balance. He stood firm, unaffected by her weight as she assessed the current situation.

Natsu had saved her again. Of course, he always saved her and no matter what the situation was, she always felt safe when he was around. Even when all hope was lost, if Natsu was there, it was okay. Right now, she was in her sanctuary.

"S-sorry," she apologized, steadying herself in his grip. Another apology, she thought briefly in annoyance, though this one was legitimate. The blonde knew she couldn't just keep swooning about how good and protected she felt. She summoned the courage to question his dragon side instead. "Do you…think I should belong to someone, Natsu?"

His eyes flashed dangerously, but only for a moment. "You can only belong to someone if you want to be claimed," the fire mage's strained response came.

"So…you don't think I'm anybody's 'girl'," she concluded for him, carefully examining his expression.

Still strained, he shook his head before asking a little more quietly, "Do you want it though?"

Lucy blinked. "Want what?"

"To be claimed."

"You belong to me." It flickered through her mind again. The words had come out in such a husky and possessive voice that she could hardly convince herself otherwise. Every time she heard it in her mind, it felt like it was true. It felt like she was Natsu's, and during those times, she was glad.

"I don't know," was her final answer, but her shaky voice left her uncertainty of even that response easily questionable.

"Just be careful," Natsu warned her seriously, giving her a stern look.

Distracted by her own thoughts, she couldn't possibly comprehend what he was thinking when he randomly said, "Now, come on. Dance with me."

"What?" Lucy spluttered in utter confusion, pulling away slightly to look at him incredulously.

"Just do it," he commanded gruffly, sweeping her waist into his arms.

Unwilling to argue, she raised her arms, entwining her fingers behind his neck as she leaned against his comfortable chest. "There's no music," Lucy pointed out feebly, feeling awkward.

"The sound of the water's our music," he murmured. "I ruined your night. You're missing out on all the dancing, so let me make it right."

She smiled at his words. Not in a million years would she have suspected that she'd one day dance with Natsu. It wasn't perfect, of course; there wasn't much movement in his feet and he was clearly missing any rhythm the water offered, but it was everything. He'd been thinking of her, like always, and he was doing something he would never do under regular circumstances. He was doing it for her.

For the first time ever, the thought that Natsu might actually like her crossed her mind. She was doubtful, knowing of how oblivious he was to the opposite sex, but it would make everything that happened in the last few months so much clearer. Lucy had no real proof of anything though; all she knew was that he had never cared this deeply for her until now.

Her right hand trailed from his neck to gently graze the side of his chin. Their eyes met and suddenly, she didn't want to think about any of that anymore. She wanted to take away his worries and make him feel as good as she was feeling right now.

A smile tugged at her lips as she softly reassured him, "I'm not missing out on anything."

The smile she received in return completed the moment as they swayed under the dim streetlights.

Maybe…maybe this night wasn't so bad after all.