It had been nearly a month since the incident. Lucy had been temporarily withdrawn from school, and all the children had been banished from the Heartfilia Estate. All she could do was simply sit in her room, watching over the garden from behind cold glass panes. Her crayons and dolls were scattered around her large, empty bed, lying forgotten on the floor. Only one book lay open on her toy chest, the story of Rapunzel. Pressing her small hands against the window, she waited, and waited, and waited.
That was all she'd done in the past weeks. Her mother, who was exceedingly cross with her husband, was the only one allowed to enter the room.
"He'll come," Lucy had murmured one night, as Layla gently tucked her into bed. "He said he'll always protect me…"
"Who?" Layla inquired softly, brushing a strand of blonde hair from her daughter's forehead.
"Natsu," She responded, a tiny smile lifting the corners of her rose-bud lips.
"Oh, so does that mean that he's your prince?" Layla prompted, chuckling a little in amusement.
"Natsu's not…." Lucy yawned, sleep weighing down her eyelids. "… Not a prince… He's a dragon."
And with that, she fell asleep with a peaceful soft of grin on her face. Layla sighed, a melancholic smile gracing her lovely features.
"Sweet dreams, Lucy," She whispered, turning off the lamp. "It's going to be sunny tomorrow."
"Frère Jacques, frère Jacques, dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?" The tinkling, bell sound of Lucy's young voice floated out from the path to the rose bushes. "Sonnez les matines! Sonnez les matines!"
"Din, dan, don. Din, dan…." He voice trailed off, as she found herself staring at the pink spikes that stuck up from inside the rose bushes. "… Don…?"
Could it be? Hesitantly, she walked over to investigate. It's him! A huge smile broke out on her sweet face, and in an excited, hushed voice, she called, "Natsu!"
A rustling noise came from within the bushes, and suddenly the said boy tumbled out of the roses, scrapes evident on his sheepish face. Rose petals fluttered around them, dancing in the warm breeze. They simply stared for a moment, scanning over each other for any small changes that had occurred in the past month of no interaction between them.
"Ah, geez Luce, your flowers hurt." He mumbled, glowering slightly at his scratched hands. "Everything at your house hurts!"
"Natsu, you were in a rose bush! Didn't you know? Roses have thorns!" Lucy laughed, offering him her dainty, porcelain hand.
"I found that out the hard way," Natsu muttered, though he accepted her hand. She pulled him up, but didn't let go. A warm, fat tear rolled off of her cheek and landed on the top of his hand.
"H-Hey, Luce, why a-are you c-crying?"
"Be-because," She bawled, letting go of his warm hands and wiping her red face. "I-I'm just s-so h-happy!"
"You cry when you're happy?" He repeated incredulously, taking a step towards her.
"I m-missed y-you so m-much!" Lucy wailed, wrapping her thin arms around his shoulders. "W-Why did y-you t-take so long, you d-dummy?"
"Sorry, Luce," Natsu mumbled, patting her head softly. "I, ah, well, it's hard getting in here, ya know?"
She squeezed him tighter, making a warm feeling rush to his cheeks. Finally, her tears subsided, and she was reduced to hiccupping rather pathetically. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, trying to ignore the fact that she was slightly taller than him, or that he was covered in dirt and grime and had probably soiled her dress.
"Don't worry, I'm here now," He reassured her anyway, giving her a bright grin. "I said I'll always protect you right?"
Author's Note: Well, as you can see, I'm back from my little writing vacation, and back from the dead. Yet another short chapter—whoops! Cute fluff, though, right? Little Lucy and Natsu are so chibi-ish and adorable! Thanks for reading!