,

Adore You

"In a thousand ways,In a thousand hidden places, You have touched my heart,And the feeling never changes,"

Natsu sighed sadly as he signed his discharge paperwork. "Are you sure about this Natsu?" Cana questioned she was getting ready to end her shift and was preparing to head out to the bar with a few coworkers whom were also off tomorrow. Natsu nodded still pouting that Lucy had suddenly stormed off when she realized she had work today. Natsu finished signing, his gaze instantly landed on the pink suitcase that Lucy had left in his care; she hadn't left very long ago…

"Thanks Cana!" Natsu hopped up and pulled out his IV with ease. Cana scolded him instantly for doing so, but Natsu didn't care. He had something to do before he made a visit to his usual hide out apartment for such occasions. Natsu reached into a white bag on the bed and fished out the clothes that Gray had brought in for him earlier yesterday for when he woke. Natsu grabbed hold of the curtain near his bed and gave it a hard shove causing it to swing around the bed. It cut off Cana's sight of him instantly and he began changing.

oooOOOooo

Lucy jogged in place on the street before the traffic light awaiting for the go ahead to run across the street. Kari stomped softly on Lucy shoulder mimicking Lucy making the very few people who noticed chuckle. Five minutes and the light still hadn't turned red to allow pedestrians to cross. This wasn't good at this rate she'd be late!

oooOOOooo

Natsu rushed down the first floor hallway in the hospital and ducked into the gift shop. Cana and several coworkers were walking out when Natsu nearly crashed into them as he dashed out of the gift shop with a big goofy smile and a thornless dark pink rose in hand as he dashed through open glass auto open doors. He paused though at the sea of cameras and paparazzi just outside the hospitals doors. He was instantly targeted, Natsu looked around.

"Did you guys see which way a blonde girl with pretty brown eyes and her hair pulled back into a ponytail go? She just left a few minutes ago." he questioned them still looking from side to side for any traces of the blonde. He wanted to know how they'd known he was here, but he had something more important to do. One of them pointed as an answer "Thanks!" he beamed pushing his way through them heading in that direction.

"Prince Natsu who were the individuals that did this to you? Please comment!" A woman asked him shoving a microphone into his face.

Natsu's eyes narrowed "Only one person did this to me…" he started and began walking faster as he broke free from the reporters and news crew "and he's not worth the wasted breath, but there is someone else that's worth that effort." he finished. He raced off holding Lucy's pink suitcase over his shoulder.

oooOOOooo

Lucy sighed impatiently as the light finally changed and she darted across the street. Kari clung to the shoulder of Lucy's shirt with her front paws as her legs dangled in the air from the sheer speed. "Lucy!" Lucy fell forward when her heart skipped a beat. A strong hand clapped around her wrist and gave her a soft tug. Lucy managed to catch herself because of this and turned to find a panting, still bandaged up Natsu, hunched over trying to breath with her large pink suitcase resting over his opposing arms shoulder.

Lucy mumbled his name before the paparazzi swarmed them from all corners. Lucy froze… "Lucy." Natsu looked up breathing somewhat normal now; Natsu put the pink suitcase down beside him as another item of which Natsu had been holding became very noticeable. Natsu held out the dark pink rose to her.

Lucy blushed taking the offered flower "U-Um N-Natsu what…" she stumbled over her words. She didn't know how to feel. The paparazzi… she didn't want to be caught on any of their cameras if she did her father would know where she was…

Natsu pulled Lucy's hand up to his lips and kissed that back of her knuckles softly "Thank you for staying beside me all night. I'd like you to consider going out with me again…" Natsu asked flashing her a pleading look.

Natsu's hand falling back on her cheek snapped her out of her trance. "Luce…" He whispered leaning over her without warning crashing his lips to hers.

Lucy's cheeks darkened "I promise this time I won't screw it up." he added flashing her a nervous but charming grin.

Lucy frowned 'I need to stop worrying about dad… It's not like he'll never find out that I didn't leave town anyways.' she thought sweat dropping at her own logic of hiding where her father least expected her. A plan that wouldn't work if her father hadn't been so obsessively protective of her as a child. No one knew her face… only the name. And so long as they only knew her as Lucy no one would ever know.

Shoving her worries away from her, she looked up at a certain foolish idiot. A smile tugged across her lips "Of course!" she paused long enough to tuck some hair behind her ear "And for the record… you didn't screw it up at all."

oooOOOooo

Natsu dropped down onto his bed eyeing the ceiling. He was currently hiding out within the apartment that was reserved for him… an apartment he barely ever used. Why he didn't just stay here when his father acts the way he does… well as a Prince he has a duty to be the next king of this region. Which means taking over his father's position, which also means putting up with his crap unfortunately.

Natsu sat up Indian style and eyed the pink suitcase he'd promised Lucy he'd hold onto till later. At the sight of it he couldn't help but to feel anxious. They say you can tell a lot about a woman from the contents in their purse… He had a giant suitcase which was now tempting him to investigate the girl commanding his attention with a single glance. He wanted to know more…

Now was his opportunity! Natsu's leg twitched to move, but stopped. No he couldn't do that?! Could he? Natsu twitched again when his gaze landed on the pink case. Without much warning Natsu dashed forward and unclamped the case throwing it open. The first thing Natsu's eyes dropped on… Lucy's lingerie. Natsu fell backwards his hand slapping to his face as a familiar red liquid dripped from his nose. 'W-Well that was certainly a pleasant beginning.' he thought still suffering in delight from the mental image his mind had just conjured up of Lucy wearing the black lingerie he'd just seen within her case. Its tags were still on so it was safe to say she'd yet to wear it.

Natsu wiped the blood from his nose smearing it across his face before clapping his hands hard to his face. Natsu regained some not perverted and more gentlemen like senses, then turned back to the case to finger through Lucy's belongings. He found many things! This small box filled to the brim with unsent letters, a woman's usual necessities, an odd amount of peanut nutrition candy bars, a weird looking pen without a tip that vibrated when it was turned on, and what looked like a diary.

Natsu stared at the diary… Something inside him was commanding him to open it and read all its contents till it was memorized, but instead Natsu placed the book back where he found it. It didn't feel right to snoop through her personal thoughts like that. That's when he noticed another book… Natsu carefully took it into his hands "Photo Album." Natsu read the words out loud to himself. Natsu smirked curiously as he repositioned himself to sit with one of his legs propped up, his knee bent and his right arm resting over it while his left leg hooked under it still resting in the Indian style position.

Natsu's fingers gently brushed over the book's cover before he opened it to the first page. The first photo revealed was a picture of a nearly bold baby reaching up at the camera as the photo was taken. A big toothless smile as the baby reached up giggling. The name Lucy Heartfilia inscribed just over her head. Natsu's eyes stopped at that name "Lucy Heartfilia…" he whispered softly. His heart stopped… He knew that name, but from where?! Natsu's finger ran down the page stopping at Lucy's cheek.

He shook his head 'I'll think about it later…' he thought remembering he had to hurry if he wanted to make a beautiful moonlit dinner to share with Lucy when she got off work. Natsu flipped to the next page… This page shocked him! Natsu stared at the page breathless "W-What's the meaning of this…" he thought out loud. In the picture stood a small blonde child being held by a blonde haired woman that looked exactly like Lucy and beside her a man with blonde combed back hair.

Natsu flipped the page again finding the exact same woman holding onto the blonde child again. Both sharing the same beautiful smile 'Lucy…' Natsu thought looking at Lucy's happy expression as the older woman held her. Either the woman was Lucy's mother… or Lucy had a daughter somewhere running around. That was all Natsu could think. He felt the urge to read Lucy's diary, but shook his head 'No this was a big enough breach of her privacy as it was.' he thought to himself.

Natsu flipped to the next page to find Lucy being hit with water by a long light blue haired woman who had an odd looking M tattooed across her upper chest as she aimed the hose at Lucy. Lucy seemed to be in a cross of screaming and laughing as she ran away 'Maybe the woman was a gardener…' Natsu snickered at this. She looked like she was having so much fun.

Flipping to another page, Natsu felt a surge of jealousy "The hell!" He growled. Looking at a picture of two men dressed in black tux's and black glasses helping Lucy onto a brown horse that a man holding a bow and set of arrows on his back seemed to have brought out 'The hells with the bow and arrows?!' he thought. One of the men dressed up in tux's had sandy spiky locks of hair while the other looked older and wiser with his short barely noticeable white hair and goatee.

Turning the page once again Natsu's cheeks blushed at a picture of little Lucy standing in the middle of a big room. Three mirrors sitting before her casting her reflection back at her, beside her a young woman with long bright pink hair that curled at the shoulders dressed in something made out of sheep fur stood holding out a dress that was obviously too small for the woman to wear. Natsu raised an eyebrow 'A designer maybe…' he thought. Beside Lucy stood another pink haired adult fashioned in a maids outfit her hair not dripping any lower then her chin.

Moving on he flipped the page to reveal Lucy a little older sitting in front of a mirror a dark skinned man sitting behind her trimming her hair, the man's hair pulled back into odd dreadlocks. Over the man's eyes rested what looked like those weird tanning glasses women get at the tanning salon! A tall man sporting a nose ring stood behind them chatting with crossed arms and odd cow looking black splotched tattoos all over his skin.

Flipping the page again, 'What the hell' Natsu chuckled the two Lucy's on the page. The first Lucy was totally normal while the one beside her would have confused him had the dress have not been lifted up to reveal two young boys. One balancing the other on top of the others shoulder, the one lifting the dress to reveal one of the twins big toothy grins was a dark skinned man with half red half white hair short hair.

Natsu fought the urge to laugh. Honestly if he'd known Lucy back then and he'd come to see her and saw them instead. He'd probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference look wise. They looked like mirror images standing beside her!

Natsu shook his head flipping the page again, the picture made him pause… It was a picture of the young Lucy and her older twin. They were resting under the stars as they stared up at the night sky. The blonde haired man was in this one too his hair combed back as the older looking Lucy's head rested on his lap while Lucy's head rested on the older Lucy's stomach. The two girls were pointing up at the sky while the man looked to be struggling to see what they were seeing.

Natsu flipped the page again, but found something strange… It was empty? Why was it empty? Natsu flicked passed the rest of the book checking for more pictures only to find none available for his viewing pleasure. Natsu's gaze shifted to the diary again 'Lucy… why'd the pictures suddenly stop?' he wondered looking at the dairy's cover intently. Natsu sighed as much as he wanted to know more about Lucy he felt it would be wrong to read her diary without permission.

Natsu closed the book in his hand and carefully put it back where he found it. Deciding to resume his investigation… Natsu stopped however when he seen the time. "Shit Lucy said be there by six! It's already four thirty!" he shouted jumping to his feet he still had to cook and all yet before their meeting!

oooOOOooo

Elsewhere Lisanna stared dumbly at her sister "Mira what are two doing here?" the younger of the two sisters spoke with angry eyes. Her older sister and older brother had just returned from the Dragneel household. She was holding quite the grudge against them for that… "I thought you two wanted nothing to do with the royal life and disowned yourselves to work under Natsu as the hired help." Lisanna huffed out uncaringly. Family… Some family they'd left her here all by herself to learn how to run a country all on her own!

Mirajane's eyes narrowed when had her cute little sister gain such a rude attitude towards her. She was sure her and Elfman leaving the family was definitely a big part of it, but it wasn't as though they hadn't offered to take her with them. Lisanna had her choice and she made it. Just as she had! Just as Elfman had… "Huh with the way you're talking I'm wondering if I should even bother telling you." Mirajane stepped forward into a place she use to call home until she realized the truth. A truth her little sister didn't believe.

"Tell me what?!" Lisanna snarled unattractively. Mirajane put her hand on her hip… she didn't want to tell Lisanna for two reasons. First of all being, Natsu didn't like her sister; didn't even want to be within the girls general eyesight and two, that goddamn attitude. The only reason she was considering this…? Because Lisanna was her sister and as much as Natsu hated it she was in love with him and Mirajane knew was one of Natsu's servants Lisanna would hold an even bigger grudge then she did already if she didn't at least notify her.

Blood dripped off his chin and he heard a round of gasps "King Dragneel, you should settle down your hurting…" Mirajane spoke weakly at least attempting to come to his rescue.

"Shut up wench! Know your place!" Igneel yelled in anger he turned to her with a pissed off expression as he stomped over to her with a raised fist.

Igneel grunted in pain when Natsu darted forward between the woman and his father catching his father's closed fist within his hand, glaring into his father's insanely wild eyes.

Mirajane frowned "That Natsu's in the Hospital." she stated simply before turning on her heels their older brother following behind her. They both ignored the stomping feet and the teary sobs before they were tackled. Lisanna started begging Mirajane to take her to Natsu, but Mirajane shook her head no before turning to face her again. "Lisanna, I'm going to tell you something you've been told many times before… but I want you to really listen to me this time. It's for your own good that you both hear and accept it." Mirajane spoke loud and clear.

Elfman stepped forward holding his arm out in front of Mirajane stopping his older sister as he looked in Lisanna's direction "Natsu won't ever love you. You should just give up on chasing him." Elfman finished for her as he racked his hand through his spiky white hair and with that they turned and left.