Chapter 10! Wow, double digits! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favourited, or followed this story thus far, you're all champions!

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Lucy had spent her morning in bed. As the sun had filtered through her window with its dazzling midmorning rays, Lucy had turned her back. Grumbling about the warmth of her body, she hitched her blankets up tightly under her chin. Looking out across her apartment, she sighed.

"Why is everything so bright and… Pink?" She groaned to herself, hiding her head in her blankets in the hope that the sweet oblivion of sleep would take her away into a dreamless darkness. But as the minutes ticked by and the sun grew unbearably warm against her back, she knew her luck had finally run dry. Climbing out of bed with as much aggravation as her tired form would allow, Lucy marched with a purpose into her kitchen, set on finding the most sweet and delicious comfort food her cupboards possessed. Startled at the ferocity in which she had used in opening her own refrigerator door, as it wobbled on its hinges, she sighed. Looking between her hand and the door, the young woman decided that perhaps she wasn't quite ready for the peaceful process of eating, and a little relaxation was in order first. Gently closing her refrigerator door with exaggerated care, the blonde mage walked into her bathroom with the intentions of running a sizzling hot bath to calm her down.

As the young woman entered the bath, her knees lit up with a searing pain. Grunting slightly, Lucy looked down to notice the deep grazes on her knees and the bruises forming on her thighs and shins. Realising it was from the night before when she had run home blindly, tears blurring her vision spectacularly and forcing her to fall and crash into various objects, Lucy brought it upon herself to finally reflect upon the day before. She was happy that Bickslow had accepted her request for help, she was proud that she had made it through the memories without losing herself completely, and she was relieved she had finally told Natsu how much he had hurt her. The thing that hurt her now was the execution of it all. She had never meant to mention Igneel, never meant to yell at Natsu. Sinking into the hot water, Lucy fought off another bout of tears for the way she had treated her best friend. Despite how much he had hurt her, she knew she had hurt him just as badly, and it was her duty to apologise. Attempting to strengthen her resolve, Lucy noticed for the first time how hopelessly exhausted she really was. Barely sleeping a wink the night before, Lucy vaguely recalled Loke summoning himself and carrying her to her bed while she continued to cry tears worthy of a torrential downpour. Smiling at the kindness of her spirit, Lucy pulled herself out of the tub, drying herself off and dressing in comfy clothes, the young mage entered her living room and pulled out the golden key to summoned her faithful lion.

Upon his arrival, Loke said nothing, merely evaluated her, his eyes calculating as he took in her appearance.

"I wanted to say thanks." Lucy said quietly, an air of formality, never normally used around her spirits, saturated her words and she waited for his response.

"You're still not okay." It wasn't a question, he knew what his master was feeling and he wouldn't allow her to try and sugar coat it.

"No, not yet. I need to see Natsu." Loke's brow raised, he knew little of what had occurred, but when he had, unbeknownst to Lucy, watched over her in her rare moments of sleep, she had said Natsu's name in a whimper, as if nightmares were plaguing her and he lead them.

"I just wanted to say thank you." Her voice was barely a whisper and Loke sighed, he was uncharacteristically serious, and disagreed with the girl completely on what she needed to do, but he still cared for her. Pulling her into a tight embrace and resting his cheek on the top of her head, he said the words he knew she needed to hear most of all.

"We're all here if you need us. Don't be afraid to call." He felt rather than saw her nodding and feeling satisfied, he allowed himself to dissipate.

Left alone in her apartment, Lucy glanced around the room, everything around her seemed far too bright for her dull and depressed mind, and she cursed her decision to paint her walls pinks and whites as the colours clashed with her emotions. With a sigh, Lucy headed for the kitchen, stomach rumbling for breakfast whilst her mind screamed for sleep. Opening, the fridge, there was a knock on her front door, and with another longing glance at the food held within, she left the kitchen in order to play host. Upon swinging open her front door, Lucy froze. On the other side of her door stood none other than Natsu Dragneel, looking exhausted and depressed.

"Natsu..?" Her voice trailed off, the dark circles clouding his eyes were heartbreaking, and his dishevelled appearance told Lucy that he was just as exhausted as she was.

"Can I come in?" He asked, oddly formal compared to his usual choice of entrance. Unable to speak, Lucy nodded her head, stepping aside for the man to walk past her. Closing her door, Lucy turned to face him but he still had his back to her, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"I wanted to apologise." Lucy cut in, not letting him speak first. He turned to her sharply, his eyes wide in shock and his mouth falling open slightly. "I didn't mean to say what I said, I was just upset." She rubbed her hand over her arm nervously, her eyes not once meeting his. Silence stretched between them and Lucy finally looked up, folding her arms across her chest and defiance written on her features.

"Aren't you going to say something?" She asked with aggravation.

"No."

"No?" She repeated incredulously, "What do you mean, 'no'?!" Her voice voice rose with her temper and Natsu knew he had to act fast.

"I mean, I don't accept your apology. You shouldn't be apologising at all Luce, I deserved that... What you… Yesterday." His voice seemed to lose strength as it petered out.

"I left you Luce, I left you and I knew how much you hated being alone. I should have taken you with me, or at least seen how you were after Tartaros… I just knew that if I did, I'd never be able to leave, and I had to leave."
"But why?" Lucy asked, she could feel her sorrow resurfacing and she forced her eyes to remain dry.

"Igneel…" He clutched his scarf as he took a deep breath. "When Igneel died I promised him I'd get stronger, that I'd beat Acnologia. I couldn't get stronger if I stayed here, or at least not as quickly. I had to go." He looked ashen, his hand still clutching at his scarf as if it was the only thing keeping him together.

"Still, I'm sorry I left like I did, it wasn't fair. Please, just please forgive me, Luce." He was begging, and Lucy once more had to fight back the sudden urge to cry. Smiling slightly, Lucy responded in the only way she knew how.

"No. I don't accept your apology." Natsu looked appalled, his eyes lowering in shame, but Lucy merely smiled more widely. "You shouldn't be apologising to me at all, Natsu." His eyes shot up, as her words mimicked his own, and in that moment, he looked like a deer caught in the headlights and Lucy found herself smiling a little more, her sorrows easing monumentally in his presence.

"Yes, you left me, and yes, you know how much I hate being by myself, but you shouldn't have taken me with you. If you had, I would have slowed you down, I would have distracted you. Yeah, we would have had fun, but it wouldn't have helped either of us. I had some amazing experiences in that year, and even though I hated every minute of being by myself and I used all my spare time trying to locate you… I think it was good for both of us. Look how amazing and incredibly strong you are now! I think Igneel would be proud, and I couldn't take that away from you. You made the right decision." She smiled then, and for the first time since the previous day, it was from genuine happiness. Lucy was pleased when Natsu's own face seemed to mimic hers before it fell into an otherworldly sadness, making him look centuries old, it was as if he no longer had control of his features, the sadness settling in.

"But Aquarius, she's…" He teetered off, not wanting to say the word 'dead'.

"She's not dead. I just don't own her key anymore." Lucy whispered, unable to speak louder as her emotions created havoc inside her. The good vibes she'd been feeling earlier fled the scene immediately. She had known where his thoughts had led him and she could never allow him to think that.

His face brightened at the prospect that the mermaid was still out there, alive and well.

"I'll help you find her! Just like how we found Virgo and all the others! Just like the old days." He smiled in triumph, clearly pleased by his decision.

"Just like the old days?" Lucy said with a soft laugh, wiping the lone tear that tracked down her cheek before refocusing on the man before her.

"Yeah, like the old days." He reaffirmed in a whisper, the tense atmosphere had left and neither of them wanted to break the new feeling in the air, although neither of them could explain exactly what it was. They looked at each other, eyes never breaking contact.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there, Luce." But Lucy merely smiled in response.

"Don't be silly. You had training to do, remember?" Looking back into her apartment, Lucy seemed to contemplate something, before looking back at her best friend before her.

"Hang on a second, I want to give you something." Natsu stood patiently as she rummaged through the drawers near her bed. Natsu watched her, his eyes drifting to the bed of their own volition, conjuring memories of the nights he slept there, remembering its cloud-like softness. He knew that, surrounded by her scent and the warmth of the sun, he would fall asleep easily, and stay that way until nightfall. As his feet began to shift, Lucy reappeared in front of him, her left hand behind her back.

"Close your eyes." He did as instructed and felt her hand hold his, palm up, before her other hand descended and deposited a small, cold item inside.

"Open." She whispered. When he obeyed her command, her saw her looking down into his hand with a wistful expression before he allowed his gaze to wander downwards also.

There, in the palm of his calloused hands was the gold handle of Aquarius' key.

"Luce, I can't…"

"Don't tell me that. You can and you will, Natsu. Because together, we're going to find her again, just like the old days. This can be the symbol of our promise." He looked back up at her, her eyes filled with tears that she would never let fall.

"I want you to have it. Please, Natsu, take it." Natsu's throat felt dry as he struggled to swallow, nodding his head in affirmation, he clenched his hand into a fist around the handle, silently promising the woman before him that he would search for the mermaid spirit with as much vigour as he had when searching for Igneel.

"I don't have anything to give you, Luce, but I can promise you that I'll never leave again. Or at least if I do, I'll take you with me." She wiped at her left eye, the emotions in her were clearly becoming too much and Natsu wanted to sweep her up into his arms and pepper her head with kisses until she stopped crying, but he refrained, uncertain as to what she wanted herself.

"You weren't being selfish." That was the last thing that Natsu had expected to hear come from her mouth. But the way she smiled, the way her eyes glistened, he knew that she could read him like the books she adored so much, and this time she was more accurate than she had ever been. Looking up at him, she smiled her all-knowing smile. Through the unobstructed view of her eyes and face, Natsu was pleased to see that it didn't look like she was holding a world of pain behind her eyes anymore. That she wasn't using all the strength she had just to turn her lips upwards.

"You weren't being selfish, Natsu. Don't you dare think it, ever again." Throwing her arms around the boy she held him close, not a breath of air between them, and finally she allowed herself to break down. She sobbed loudly and Natsu knew instantly that this wasn't just because of him, it was because of the day before, of her sleepless nights and the tsunami of emotions that no human being would ever be able to sort through, washing and wading through her heart and soul. Scooping her up into his arms, he held the whimpering blonde, finally allowing himself to kiss the top of her head, murmuring sweet nothings into her hair as her crying continued to tear his heart apart. Finally allowing himself to sit on her bed, back against the wall, Natsu held her tightly in his lap.

It took about ten minutes for Lucy to cry herself to sleep. Still clutching the front of his shirt and scarf, she slept peacefully. Her body still as if all the energy had been drained from it. Knowing that there would be no possible way to extricate himself without waking her, Natsu allowed himself to close his eyes, readjusting her slightly so that both of them were more comfortable. Closing his eyes and holding tightly onto the woman he called his best friend, Natsu allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

Their hearts lighter, and more connected than they had been since he had left over a year ago, the two slept blissfully and dreamlessly, soft smiles adorning both of their faces.

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"I would like to be the air that inhabits you for a moment only. I would like to be that unnoticed and that necessary."

~ Margaret Atwood

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Another chapter done! Let me know what you think, yeah?

Happy reading~!