Chapter 12

Lucy fell asleep after watching a few movies on Zeref's TV; hungry she ate some of his ice cream to and closed her eyes on his couch to catch some Z's. When she awoke the sky was still filled with stars, and her eyes had sleep in them. Of course the blinking light from the elevator wasn't much insurance either.

Lucy wiped her eyes and yawned, sitting up on the couch.

Lucy wondered if she was worrying her staff, Aquarius to, she hoped she was okay. Her father wouldn't care, and if she was said to be with Zeref he might actually say he's proud of her. Lucy couldn't allow that to be the case though, in fact staying in Zeref's apartment any longer seemed a bit too much for her to handle. So the idea that he was coming back now seemed to help her self-esteem.

She would tell him, that he had to let her leave, that he had to let her go back home and make sure Aquarius was okay.

Lucy heard the elevator door click open, and she smiled happy that he'd come back. "Finally," Lucy said looking back from the couch. "You know Zeref you barely answered any of my questions before and. . .Natsu."

Lucy saw him stand there, scarf wrapped around his neck and eyes filled with what looked like sadness. "Natsu you're here? In Zeref's apartment, well I guess that makes sense, I mean you are his brother and. . ." Lucy scratched her head. "Well funny how things turn out like this."

"I'm sorry Lucy," Natsu said. "For wrapping you up in all of this."

Lucy shook her head. "Look it's not your fault; I mean I got involved of my own accord, so no big deal." Lucy crossed her arms. "Besides I'm the one engaged to him."

Natsu shook his head. "No that's not what I meant Lucy, for getting you poisoned, and Sting and Rogue even went after you, I—because I met up with you I think Achnologia found out who you were, and. . ." Natsu looks up at the celling, as if he's trying to hold himself back. "And now he wants you Lucy."

Lucy frowned. That name, she'd heard it so much. She needed to know who he was. "Achnologia, who is he? And no skirting around the question like Zeref did."

Natsu sighed walking over and taking a seat next to her on the couch. "He's someone very scary, and well. . ." Natsu stopped himself, seeming a little nervous to say something. "You're going to think I'm crazy."

"Natsu," Lucy said putting a hand over his. "Whatever you say I'll believe it, trust me."

Natsu felt sick, knowing what he was going to do, what he had to do to save his friends precious people, to keep them from Achnologia's wrath, but Lucy, he couldn't risk harming her like that. Still it was only fair he told her the full story.

"Achnologia, he thinks we're in a parallel world— that we were all switched over, that originally we were all in another world, or he was and I, and a few others."

Lucy felt like laughing at the ridiculous accusation but she kept her mouth closed, nodding her head.

"I know it sounds crazy, but he thinks it's true. In the other world he was king of the dragons, and myself and Gajeel, Wendy and Sting, and Rogue, we were all dragons to. I mean apparently." Natsu shook his head. "I've always thought it was crazy, but sometimes I get these dreams, and Achnologia says these things, and sometimes I wonder if this world I live in is really real." Natsu hands tightened, but Lucy kept her hand over his.

"I'm sorry, this is so weird and I'm not even sure I believe it," Natsu admitted.

Lucy shook her head, not really having ever felt the feeling Natsu had, or even understanding it.

"So does Acnologia want to go to this parallel world?" Lucy asked.

Natsu frowned, but nodded his head. "He found us, me and my friends—even Laxus and Cobra. A couple of years ago he found us and began tasking us with separate missions. They were all to help us get there—no one wanted to really do the missions."

"But why listen to him?" Lucy asked, unsure how to understand the circumstance. "Why even do the missions then?"

"Because Lucy!" Natsu pulled back, visibly upset. "He's keeping our friends, or my friends most precious people hostage. When he found us he threatened Levy to get Gajeel to corporate, Yukino to make sure Sting and Rogue did what Achnologia said, even Wendy's grandmother, and Laxus's Grandfather and Cobra's wife—they all didn't have a choice Lucy!" Natsu looked upset, so angry, but then something in him just fell down, and Natsu broke back on the couch eyes close to tears.

"I'm sorry," Natsu said. "I don't know why I was just yelling."

Lucy moved closer to Natsu, she started rubbing his back. "Hey it's okay," she said.

Natsu wiped his eyes. "No it's not okay Lucy— Acnologia has their most precious person, to each of them. If they don't follow his orders they die."

Lucy felt the shaking underneath Natsu shirt, the fear coursing through his veins as she rubbed his back.

"It's okay Natsu, will get through this," Lucy said unsure what else she could say. She wanted to ask who his precious person was, but she felt it was inappropriate when Natsu was suffering like this.

Natsu though, he knew what Lucy was thinking, and he moved away disgusted by his own incompetence. "Lucy you don't understand what I'm saying, I'm telling you Achnologia's a monster and I. . .I well I followed his orders anyway. I didn't need a precious person, I did what he said cause I had nothing else in my life."

Lucy bit her lip, doubting the statement. "Natsu, you don't honestly believe that's why you followed him? If he's as scary as you say."

Natsu moved over and Lucy stopped rubbing his back. "No Lucy I was just a sick person. When he met up with me he told me how powerful I was in this other world, and I wanted to see this place despite the pain my friends were going through. So I agreed to whatever he said, going on missions for him and following what he said when I felt like it." Natsu looked around the room he was in, maybe noticing where he finally was.

"But then he asked me to find my older brother, who apparently was already looking for me. I was so mad, he'd kept the fact I had an older brother a secret from me; that's when I realized what a mistake, what it really meant to follow Achnologia. So without a precious person holding me down, I basically stopped." Natsu stopped his hands shaking. "Aren't I sick, helping someone who's holding people hostage, who has no remorse for others just cause I was bored. Really, I should just go and disappear." His last words stung in the air, and Lucy could feel the shaking stop.

Natsu budged to the furthest corner on the couch. But Lucy didn't want Natsu to feel the loneliness he felt, because despite not knowing what he'd been through Lucy knew Natsu was hurting, that he was suffering.

"Natsu," Lucy said budging to put her arm over his shoulder. "Please don't say that." Lucy hugged Natsu from behind. "Ever since I've met you I couldn't help but smile, you're a joy to be around, and I don't think you're a bad person, in fact I think you're a wonderful person."

Natsu turned around, staring straight into Lucy's eyes. "How can you say that! I just told you I willfully helped a criminal in his plans to try and get to some made up other world!" Natsu looked down, unable to look Lucy in the eyes. "I'm a mess Lucy, don't you get it, I even came here to kidnap you, to take you away cause Achnologia wants you!"

Lucy wasn't sure why his words started drowning out, but somewhere from the first moment he entered, to the first time she laid eyes on him throwing up in a bush on the deck at her mansion, well somewhere along the way she'd known that her scattered heart beat and the blush on her face was something she'd never felt with anyone. Something she'd wanted to feel with Gray as childhood friends, something she tried to let herself feel with Zeref when she thought of their future marriage. But to her none of them felt real. Not like the way she felt when she stared at Natsu.

Lucy leaned forward, stopping Natsu's words and letting her lips perch on his. She'd caught Natsu by surprise, but he didn't pull away. In fact the tension of anger in him seemed to die down, and his hands found her back, brushing down her side.

Lucy pulled back, her face red from the kiss she'd shared.

Natsu to had the look of a tomato.

"Well then." Both heads turned, the third voice entering the room from the side. "It looks like I've caught my brother and my fiancée kissing, wouldn't the magazines love to get their hands on this story," Zeref said a smirk between his cheekbones.

Well I sure update slowly, sorry about that. I don't think many people are reading this story and since I'm not getting many reviews I'm mostly just writing it for myself now, so if you want faster chapters reviews help motivate me to write faster :D

Hopefully this was an enjoyable chapter, next one coming. . . eventually