Lucy and Natsu had no problems finding the base camp that Igneel had described.

They found that the dragons had decided to gather near the bottom of a mountain. It was a picturesque scene with a waterfall cascading down the mountainside. Dragons splashed in the water and sunned themselves on rocks. In total, there were at least 50 dragons at the camp but Lucy saw even more flying nearby, presumably hunting game in the surrounding forest.

They talked to a green dragon that appeared to be covered in moss. He politely told them to make themselves comfortable but warned that all the good caves were already taken.

Igneel soon arrived with Zeref noticeably absent. When Lucy asked about it, Igneel explained that many of the dragons disapproved of Zeref and it would be better if he camped separately for the time being.

That evening, Igneel sat with them and listened to adventures his son had during the last 17 years of his life. Lucy loved watching the two of them talk. Natsu would tell some tale that would have made a human parent cringe, but Igneel only seemed to find humor in it. She was beginning to see where Natsu got his fearlessness from.

As the sun set Natsu made a small fire and they continued their stories over a meal of fresh venison. Eventually Igneel bid them goodnight and crawled into a nearby cave.

Lucy and Natsu unrolled their sleeping mats and slept in the open night air. On nights that were clear such as this one, she loved sleeping under the stars.

Not long after she had fallen asleep, a hand shook her. She turned her head.

Natsu was there, grinning.

"What is it?" she asked.

He put a finger to his lips, motioning for her to be quite. He held out his hand and she took it.

She followed him as they travelled along the river's edge. After several minutes, they were far enough away from the dragon's base camp that she felt she could speak.

"Where are we going?" she asked softly.

"It's a surprise."

They kept walking and eventually came to a small cave. It was probably part of the same network of caves that the dragons were using for shelter, but this particular entrance looked too small for a dragon.

"Here, get on my back," said Natsu. He bent over to help her up.

"Oh man, you better not get me into any trouble," she said as she climbed up.

"Okay, now close your eyes," he said.

"It's a cave. It's going to be completely dark anyways."

"Come on. It will be worth it, I promise."

She sighed and closed her eyes. Walking in a pitch black cave would be extremely challenging for a normal person but Natsu was able to pull it off easily while carrying a full grown person.

"Okay, we're here. You can open your eyes."

Lucy did as she was told.

"Oh my! Natsu this is incredible!"

Covering the cave's walls were millions of blue dots that softly glowed. It was simply the prettiest thing she had ever seen.

"What are they?" she asked.

"They're sort of like lightning bugs but they're blue. Aren't they neat?"

"Yeah." She looked around her. The insects were giving off so much light, that her eyes were able to make out the other features in the cave. There was a pool not far from where they stood. The blue glow was reflecting off its surface like a glowing mirror.

"The water's pretty warm," said Natsu. He had seen the direction of her gaze. "I think these caves were created by geothermal activity. We should go for a swim."

She nodded, still awestruck by the view. Swimming in a cave this beautiful was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

She hadn't worn a bathing suit so she summoned Virgo to bring her one from the Celestial World. The maiden came back with a blue two-piece with ruffles on the top. Lucy went around a corner to change and found Natsu in the water by the time she came back.

As she looked at Natsu's silhouette, Lucy suddenly found herself becoming nervous. The soft blue glow made Natsu's normally tan skin appear iridescent. He had always had a nice physique but the cave's lighting seemed to emphasize the contours of his muscled frame.

Her mind flashed to Zeref's kiss.

It had been such a bold thing to do. Now that she had had some time to process it, she realized that it hadn't been completely unwelcome. There were many things to dislike about Zeref—such as the fact that he had invaded her dreams, kidnapped her, and beaten up her friends up, just to name a few—but she was beginning to see another side to the man.

Still, there was another reason she felt she couldn't let herself fall for the black mage.

Natsu.

For years they had been friends and behaved professionally, but there had often been embraces that seemed a little too tight, or the occasional glance that would linger. Natsu had been there to ease her pain during some of the worst moments of her life, and to share joy in some of the best. Looking back at those memories, she realized there was no other person she would rather have had by her side.

She couldn't be with Zeref because she was in love with Natsu.

It was as if a thick fog had suddenly dissipated. Now that she acknowledged her feelings, she had to act on them. She took a deep breath and walked towards the hot spring.

Natsu looked up at her as she approached. "Isn't this great?"

"Yeah." Lucy stepped into the water and took a seat across from him. The butterflies in her stomach were in a frenzy.

"So, Igneel told me the other dragon slayers should be arriving tomorrow," said Natsu.

"Hmmm," said Lucy. She was barely listening.

"We were all summoned here to meet with the Queen dragon. We'll finally get answers about where the dragons have been these last 17 years."

"Ah."

Natsu gave her a questioning looking. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, why? Does something seem wrong?"

"Well, maybe. I guess I was expecting you to be more interested in hearing about the things Igneel told me." He frowned.

"Sorry." She cleared her throat. "What were you saying?"

He began to tell her more of the details about his private conversation with Igneel but her mind soon drifted again. Now that she knew how she felt about Natsu, she had to find out if he felt the same way. But how? Should she make a confession? Should she send him a note? Or should she go the route Zeref had chosen and just kiss him?

"So, what do you think?" asked Natsu.

"I'm sorry, what?"

He signed. "What's with you tonight?"

She looked at him and suddenly knew what she was going to do. Keeping low in the water, she waded towards him.

"What are you doing?" he asked. His eyes widened.

She rose a few inches, tilted her head and pressed her lips to his. Natsu's body instantly became rigid. She moved her mouth, trying to ease him into the kiss but he remained frozen in his seat. Frustrated she pulled back and looked at him.

"Lucy…" he began.

"Oh God," she whispered. She could already tell what he was going to say. The look in his eyes said it all.

He doesn't feel the same way.

"I… I can't," he stammered.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. She stood up. "I shouldn't have done that." She turned around and started getting out of the pool.

"You don't understand. I'm sorry," he said.

"No, it's okay. I'm the one who's sorry." She started walking out of cave. "I'd like a few minutes by myself, okay? I'll meet you back at the camp."

Part of her expected Natsu to come after her, to hold her and tell her it had all been a misunderstanding. Of course he had feeling for her. They would kiss and go on a date. He would be her boyfriend and she would be his girlfriend.

But he wasn't coming after her.

She walked until the blue glow of the insects faded. Soon it was pitch black and she had to feel her way around the cave. She wanted to turn back but hot tears were streaming down her face and the last thing she wanted was for Natsu to see her crying.

She stumbled and fell face first against the stone floor's surface. Her jaw hit the ground and she bit her tongue hard enough to taste blood.

"Dammit," she muttered. She got back up and continued moving.

Blessedly, the darkness of the cave soon gave way as the moon's light shown through its entrance. She exited the enclosure and was immediately shocked as a cool breeze hit her wet skin. She looked down.

She was still in her bathing suit. She had been in such a rush to leave the cave that she had forgotten to pick up her clothes.

"Whatever," she grumbled. She still had her keys and could summon Virgo for a fresh pair of clothes but she didn't feel like talking to anyone at that moment. She just had to get as far away Natsu as possible.

A snapped branch caught her attention and she looked up. There was a rocky cliff across the river and for a second, it looked like a shadowy figure was standing there. She shrugged it off and started walking downstream in the opposite direction of the dragon's base camp.

As she walked, she stopped trying to hold back her tears and let them fall freely. How could she have been so stupid? She had probably just destroyed a perfectly good friendship.

She heard someone approaching her from behind and her heart sank—it had to be Natsu. He had come to see if she was alright and was going to see how pathetic she was. She started walking faster.

"I said I want to be alone," she called out. She tried her best to keep the waver out of her voice.

"Lucy, what happened?" The voice wasn't Natsu's—it was Zeref's.

Damn, what's he doing here?

"Nothing, I don't want to talk about it."

He was still behind her. "I can tell that you're crying and you smell like blood. For christ's sake, you don't even have any clothes on!"

"I said… I… don't…want…to… talk… about it." She was beginning to get mad. Why wouldn't he just leave her alone?

He grabbed her wrist and spun her around. Her rage was bubbling now and she prepared herself for an argument.

She looked into his eyes and froze. There was nothing there for her to be angry at. If anything, he looked concerned and maybe even scared.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

And that is when she lost it. Heavy sobs escaped her, coming out as ugly croaks. Her nose had begun to run and she could tell her face was flushed.

Zeref's eyes widened. "What happened?" His expression darkened. "Did Natsu do something?"

"No, that's the problem," she said through sobs.

Zeref brow furrowed in confusion but he didn't say anything else. Instead, he pulled her towards his chest and hugged her.

She let herself fall into his arms and continued crying. He patiently traced small circles against her back and after a couple minutes, she felt herself begin to regain her composure.

Lucy leaned back. "Sorry," she said as she wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

"It's okay. You really had me scared there."

She looked up at him. "What are you even doing out here?"

He hesitated. "Most of the dragons despise me but Igneel asked me to stick around and talk to Queen Natasha tomorrow. So, I made camp downstream from the dragons. I heard talking and wanted to investigate. That's when I saw you and Natsu go into the cave." He looked embarrassed. "I was curious so I thought I would just see what you guys were up to. I didn't expect to see you stumbling out of the cave by yourself."

She shivered. Now that she had stopped moving, she was beginning to get cold. Zeref noticed and rubbed his hands along her biceps. "Here." He took off the white toga that he wore above his jacket and gave it to her.

She took the sheet and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Thanks."

"Can I heal you?" he asked.

"Yeah. I fell down and bit my tongue." It was already beginning to feel swollen.

"And your knee."

She looked down and sure enough, it was bleeding.

"I didn't even notice that," she admitted.

Zeref recited a soft incantation and Lucy felt a wave of energy wash over her body. Perhaps he put a little something extra in the healing spell because she felt considerably more relaxed as well.

"Thanks."

"It was my pleasure."

He seemed to be searching for the next words he wanted to say. "So, you said that Natsu didn't do something… and that was a problem?"

"Yeah." She tried her best to look him in the eye but it was uncomfortable. "After you kissed me, it got me thinking about my feelings and I realized that I care about Natsu."

She looked down at the ground, unable to keep the eye contact. "I let him know how I feel and he didn't reciprocate."

Zeref raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Yes."

He scratched the back on his neck.

"What?"

"Nothing. I'm just not sure I believe Natsu doesn't have feelings for you but I appreciate losing a rival."

A small laugh escaped her and she quickly covered her mouth.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing. It's just the way you said 'rival'. It reminds me of my friend Juvia—she's always referring to me as her 'love rival'."

"And does this Juvia, also have a thing for Natsu?"

"No. She has a thing for Gray Fillibuster."

"Hmmm, I will have to find out who this Gray Fillibuster is."

"Oh, you have nothing to worry about there. He's just a friend." Their talk seemed to be improving her mood. Her tears had almost dried up.

"I should probably get going. Natsu will be worried if I don't go back to camp," she added.

"Wait."

He leaned down and gave her another brief kiss.

When he pulled back, Lucy looked up at him with surprise. "I just told you I had feelings for Natsu. Why did you do that?"

He brushed her bangs back and smiled. "I already knew you had feelings for him. But I think you're also beginning to have feelings for me. With a little effort, I think I can shift the scales in my favor." He gave her a small wink.

"Well, you're simply brimming with confidence," she muttered.

"Well, you haven't exactly been putting up a fight." He pulled her in for another kiss. This time, his lips parted and his tongue slid into her mouth, coaxing her with slow circles. She actually felt herself getting weak in the knees.

This is what it feels like to be swept off your feet.

She heard leaves rustle and pulled back, startled.

Natsu was standing there.

"Natsu—" she began.

He turned around and began walking back towards the camp. She stared after him, shocked. Why did he have to see that? Had she hurt him? Or did he really care so little that he didn't want to waste his breath.

"I feel sick," she said softly.

"Don't. We didn't do anything wrong."

She pulled away from Zeref and then took off after Natsu. She could hear Zeref shouting something but she didn't care. She had to do her best to pick of the pieces of her broken friendship.

She caught up to Natsu and started walking alongside him. He kept his eyes on the ground and didn't slow down.

"Are you mad?" she asked softly.

He was quite for a while. "I don't know. I think I'm mad at myself. I should have never taken you to that cave." He stole a quick glance at her and Lucy thought the rims of his eyes looked red. Why would he be crying if he didn't have feelings for her?

"I'm sorry for what you saw a minute ago. If there is any hope that the two of us can be together, I'll never talk to Zeref again," she said.

He kept walking. It was driving her crazy that he wouldn't stop and talk to her properly. "Are those the only two options? Do you suddenly you need a boyfriend?"

"Well no—"

A large rock was in his path and he flipped it out of the way. "Actually, maybe you and Zeref together isn't such a bad thing."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because it's the truth. Look, I'm tired. Let's just get back to camp and go to sleep. We can talk about it another time when we're less emotional."

The conversation was over but one thing was clear—Natsu didn't want a relationship with her.

Bigdream3r – Special thanks to crbrgmi for all the kind reviews. I really appreciate it.