Wow! Twenty five chapters! I can't believe we've come this far!:D Also, this story is now over 100K words! I'm pretty mind blown, holy cow...
Anyways, thank you guys for sticking with me throughout this story ^_^ You're the best!
Also, thank you for all the well-wishes for my mom! It really means a lot to me! She's doing wonderful right now:) Recovery has been great for her!
And nowww, please enjoy CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE!
By dawn, Natsu had stuffed his belly full and had nothing to do but sit and wait, very impatiently, for Loke to bring Lucy back to the guild. After the first fifteen minutes of waiting, he was already fuming. Loke was not going to hear the end of this once they returned, Natsu was certain of that.
Needless to say, everyone was completely shocked once the dragon slayer finished recalling the events that had played out in the forest. The confusing truth about Loke's identity as a zodiac spirit had many of the guild members puzzled. Fairy Tail discussed the matter amongst themselves for hours while Natsu silently fumed at the bar. He was quickly regretting even bringing it up; hearing Loke's name every twenty seconds was not helping his irritable mood in the least.
Come on, Natsu groaned inwardly as he collapsed against the bar top. What's taking so long? Having the keen senses that he did wasn't making him feel any better either. It only meant that he was able to hear more of the thoughts and speculations his fellow guild members had about the smug, four-eyed player and Lucy. Oh, how he wanted to knock the glasses right off that ginger.
He turned his head to the side and glared at nothing in particular as a conversation from across the hall reached his ears.
"I can't believe Loke was really a celestial spirit all along." A voice sounding suspiciously like Macao whispered.
"Yeah, well, he always seemed a little off. I mean, seriously, how is it that he always got all the girls while we get none?" Wakaba murmured back before he tsked. "Must be a spirit thing."
Natsu rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. All I know is he's gettin' his ass kicked when they get back tonight." He grumbled to himself.
The day went on and the guild began to clear out so everyone could get ready for the rainbow sakura festival. A few members attempted to get Natsu to come join in on the festivities, but he declined. He knew that Lucy wouldn't want to miss the viewing, so he wanted to be at the guild when she got back so he could take her there. Surely she'd be back in time to make it…
But as the day turned into night and the guild completely emptied, Natsu was left alone with his angry, somewhat nervous thoughts. He grew more restless with each star that made itself visible in the ink black sky. What was taking so long? Where had Loke taken her?
It was nearly two o'clock in the morning when someone finally opened the guild doors, and Natsu jolted up from almost dozing off on the counter. He spun around, but found that it was only Mira returning from the festival. She walked behind the bar and regarded Natsu uncertainly. The guild was completely empty, aside from Natsu, Mira, and a sleeping Happy. The whole day had come and gone, and Lucy still wasn't back yet…
The white-haired bartender sighed.
"Go on home, Natsu. You've been here since dawn." She said delicately as she reached across the bar to gently pat his hand.
He opened his mouth to protest but was quickly cut off by a very stern look. "Ah, ah, no buts. Look at you." She frowned at him. "How are you going to give Loke a piece of your mind when you can barely even sit up straight? It's been a long day, Natsu, and you need to sleep."
The dragon slayer once again attempted to refuse but was just as quickly shut down the second time. "That was an order, not a request. Go." When Natsu crossed his arms in stubborn defiance, Mira's expression softened and she smiled warmly. "Besides, I really don't think Happy is too comfortable sleeping on this hard countertop, do you? He won't leave unless you do. He didn't even come to the festival tonight because he stayed by your side. Go get some rest. I'll send for you when they get here."
Natsu knew that she had a point, even if he didn't like it. He pushed himself off of the bar stool and scooped Happy up into his arms in a daze. He began making his way to the door in a slouch, lazily waving goodbye to Mira in the process.
"Come get me as soon as you see them." He yawned before finally exiting the guild.
The breeze carried luminescent cheery blossoms through the air, and Natsu only absentmindedly pondered what it would have been like to experience the festival with Lucy and everyone else. He wondered if he should have attended after all, considering Lucy hadn't actually come back to the guild...Oh well, he thought blearily. Nothing to do about it now.
Natsu stumbled his way home in a sleepy stupor. It was a wonder he even remembered the way to his house in his drowsy state of mind. He wasn't even entirely positive if he made it into the right abode, but he didn't really care at this point. The one thing he did know for sure was that Loke was so dead when Natsu finally saw him again.
After dropping Happy onto the sofa, Natsu shuffled across the room and collapsed into his hammock. The moment his head hit the pillow, he immediately fell into a deep, snore-filled slumber, with dreams of broken glasses and golden hair accompanying him through the night.
That was how the first day of Lucy's absence ended.
To Natsu's dismay, the second day passed in much the same fashion, only this time Natsu was quite literally steaming with fury. Smoke poured out his nose and mouth and anytime Loke's name was mentioned, the heat level around the dragon slayer would spike significantly.
When Gray placed his hand on Natsu's shoulder in an attempt to reassure him, the ice mage wound up with a scalded palm.
"Gray-sama, your hand!" Juvia had freaked out, of course. "Ice! We need ice! Juvia will get you some right away!"
As the water mage ran off to the kitchen, Gray shook his head in disbelief. "She must be so panicked she forgot that I basically am my own ice pack." He rolled his eyes skyward before looking at Natsu.
The dragon slayer was resting his head on his crossed arms, leaning over the bar top in the same seat he had been in yesterday. He continued to glare at the wall even though he knew Gray was staring at him. "What?" He finally snapped. "I didn't mean to burn you, but ya shouldn't'a just grabbed me like-"
"That doesn't matter, I'm fine." Gray cut him off. "Look, man. I get that you're worried about her. But Loke's not going to let her get hurt. They'll be back soon."
Natsu snorted but otherwise didn't say anything.
"I'm just sayin'…When she gets back I'm sure she'd rather see you smiling than see you like this." Gray stated earnestly, then walked away to find Juvia before she had a heart attack over his minor burn.
Hmph, Natsu thought. I must look worse than I thought if the ice princess is showin' concern. He knew that he should probably calm down a bit and not be so angry…but again, right now he didn't really care.
In fact, Natsu only seemed to do the opposite as the day went on. Everyone began to speak in soothing, calm tones around the fire mage in order to try to raise his spirits, but their words only managed to irritate him even more; it didn't matter how much they assured him that Lucy was safe, or how Loke wouldn't let anything happen to her, or how they'd be back that night for sure. None of that mattered to Natsu at all because she wasn't there and they didn't know for sure. And not knowing was what was bothering him the most.
It bothered him even more when night came and she still hadn't returned to the guild.
The third day of Lucy's absence began to stir up more people's emotions than just Natsu's; although he was still by far the most concerned.
By dawn, Master had decided to send out a search party. The possibility arose that Lucy and Loke could have been captured by Tartaros or Jude Heartfilia. Fairy Tail couldn't sit still when they weren't entirely sure what had happened, and the fact that Erza still hadn't returned yet either unsettled everyone even more.
A small team set out to hopefully find their three missing comrades. Mira attempted to coax Natsu into joining them on their search, but he refused. He wanted to remain at the guild on the off chance that Lucy arrived while the rest were out looking; mostly so that he could pummel Loke into the ground the moment he saw him.
The search team was given a communication lacrima crystal to contact the guild the moment they found something out. Mira decided to place the other lacrima on the bar top so that it was visible for those who were left in the guild to see at all times. However, she soon regret that decision due to Natsu glaring venomous daggers at the object every few minutes.
Things only continued to spiral downward as the day went by without so much as a spark from the crystal.
The fourth day of Lucy's absence resulted in Natsu being forced out of the guild. Only temporarily, of course.
He was in such a state that his heat and flames were a bit out of control. He scalded, melted, and/or burned almost everything that he touched. It got worse when he happened to hear a quiet conversation from the back of the guild hall.
"Yeah, well, it might not even be anything. Who's to say that the little bunny girl didn't just go home? Wasn't she tryin' to do that in the first place?"
Natsu's back grew rigid. He straightened up and turned to scrutinize the two that were conversing. Gajeel was leaning back carelessly in a chair next to Levy, who was quickly flipping through pages of a text on zodiac spirits, presumably trying to find out more information about Loke; or rather, Leo.
Levy scoffed at the iron dragon slayer. "Gajeel, seriously. Lu wouldn't just up and leave without saying anything to anyone, much less without saying anything to Natsu." She glared sideways at him before returning to her book. "Besides, she has people here that she wants to protect and fight for. This past month she's been training her butt off to do just that. We don't mean so little to her that she would just leave the moment she could."
Gajeel crossed his arms. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, shrimp. I'm just sayin' it's a possibility."
Finally Levy closed her book with a sigh and turned to look at him full on. "Oh yeah? If you really thought that nothing was wrong, then why wouldn't you let me go out and join the search team?"
It seemed she'd hit the nail on the head, because Gajeel only blanched before launching into some drawn out story about why Levy should stay at the guild to be there for the blondie when she finally got back, but Natsu saw right through him. Gajeel wasn't an idiot; he knew something was going on. And if Tartaros actually had kidnapped Lucy and Erza, then there was no way he was letting Levy put herself at risk next, not if there was anything he could do about it.
"Natsu!" Master yelled furiously, distracting Natsu from the rest of Levy and Gajeel's conversation. "I've rebuilt this guild too many damn times for you to go destroying it again!"
When the fire mage only looked at him in confusion, Makarov growled, "Your hands, boy!"
Natsu looked down with a start. He hadn't realized that he'd been clenching onto the bar top, and it wasn't until the aroma of burning wood registered in his nose that he realized what Master was upset about.
Where his hands had been on the bar were now two identical scorched, smoking holes.
"I think it's best for you to go get some air, Natsu. You've been cooped up in here for too long." Makarov's tone made it clear that Natsu didn't have a choice in the matter.
When the dragon slayer only blankly stared at him, Master's expression softened, despite his anger. "Don't worry, son. We'll figure everything out. Go out on a short day job, get your mind off things, blow off some steam. Just do it somewhere that doesn't endanger my guild, alright? I'll come find you the moment we learn something new."
Natsu nodded sullenly and rose without a word. He left the guild without argument but rather than taking Master's advice, he returned to his house where he fell face first into his hammock. Suddenly, lethargy overcame him and he decided that he just wanted to sleep. So that he did; he slept the entire rest of the day away.
After a whole week had passed since Lucy's absence, Happy was finally able to convince Natsu to go out on a job.
At first Natsu, of course, stubbornly attempted to refuse until Happy held the job flier up in his face. It was the monster hunting request that Lucy had asked Mira to hold onto; the one with a silver celestial key as a reward.
"Mira said that she couldn't keep holding it any longer. Someone has to do it, ya know? I figured maybe we should, since we could just give Lucy the key when she gets back." Happy flew nervously in front of his best friend as Natsu contemplated.
Natsu had a feeling that Mira and Happy planned this together behind Natsu's back. Probably to get Natsu out of the house, since everyone seemed to think that that was the best solution for him right now. Sneaky, he thought with distaste as he eyed the flier. Finally, he sighed. He may have caught on to their plan, but it still worked nonetheless.
Reluctantly, Natsu accepted the job. It was only on Mt. Hakobe which wasn't very far, and hunting monsters was easy for the dragon slayer, so it shouldn't take longer than a day to complete. And if Lucy did return while he was gone, then he could make up for his absence by giving her the key, right?
Happy was ecstatic to have his friend finally out with him again. As they flew through the air, Natsu talked more than he had in an entire week and he began to think that maybe getting out wasn't such a bad idea after all; it was just the matter of actually forcing himself to do it that was the hard part. He hadn't truly realized how much of a slump he'd been in until that moment.
The duo finished their job in a breeze. The monsters turned out to be vulcans once again wreaking havoc. They were relatively easy to defeat though, considering they'd already dealt with Natsu in the past and were somewhat terrified of him.
Once the pair collected their reward from the farmers that were being terrorized, they began their journey back to Magnolia. Natsu was definitely in higher spirits than he had been in a while, and he was able to joke along with Happy the entire trek back.
It wasn't until they had just returned to the windy outskirts of town that Natsu suddenly stopped and tensed up. Happy, who hadn't been expecting Natsu's abrupt stop, flew straight into his back.
"Natsu?" The exceed questioned from the ground where he had fallen.
Natsu didn't even hear him. He was completely and utterly distracted. The breeze that blew full-force against his face carried a scent along with it that Natsu knew very well. A scent that had been absent from Magnolia for an entire week.
His dark green eyes widened as he sharply inhaled. The aroma of cherry blossoms and sage filled his nostrils and suddenly he was moving. Without even thinking, his feet carried him forward at a speed he didn't know he was possible of attaining.
The little exceed couldn't even keep up with Natsu's velocity, and he quickly fell behind in his attempt to chase after the dragon slayer.
Natsu flew through town. He made it to the guild in record time and nearly barreled right over a distraught Levy.
"N-Natsu!" She cried the moment she recognized him.
He was in such a daze that he almost ran around her to bust through the guild doors, but Levy's next words broke him out of his trance.
"It's Lucy! She-she's here, she's back, but…" Levy looked frazzled and upset, as if she didn't know what to do.
Natsu walked up and gently placed his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. "What is it, Levy? What happened?" He asked in a surprisingly soothing tone.
"She-she said she's leaving. Now. She's going home! I-I don't really under-"
"Where is she?" Natsu cut her off quickly.
"I-I don't really know, I think she went that way." Levy pointed into the woods, towards Happy and Natsu's home. "But she told me to-"
Natsu didn't stay to hear the rest of what Levy was saying. He didn't have time. With a burst of speed he tore through the forest. Lucy was back. Levy had seen her. She was so close to him. And now she was going to disappear right in front of his face again? It was like he could feel her slipping through his fingers once more.
No. He wouldn't let that happen a second time.
His house came into view and a moment later he burst through the door to find Lucy holding the World Key out in front of her; she was already beginning to glow and Natsu knew all too well what that meant was about to happen.
Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw him.
"Nats-ooph!" Breath escaped her as his body collided full-force with hers and the pair went flying backwards just in time for the light to completely envelop them both. Natsu's house filled with a blinding flash.
Once it faded away, neither one of them were anywhere to be found.
OoOoOoO
"You've got this, princess. You're going to do great." Loke smiled encouragingly at Lucy.
Still, she couldn't quite shake her doubt and nervousness. They had explained how to use the King's Key perfectly, but since she had left it beside her bed at Natsu's house she hadn't been able to actually practice using it. "Are you sure? You guys said that mom had to train for weeks to get it right…"
Mavis shook her head. "That's because the King's Key didn't recognize her as it's owner. She was allowed to learn how to wield it so that she could teach you how to use it. The key chose you, Lucy. It will work with you."
"Just remember what we taught you, you'll be fine." Loke reemphasized.
"It is simple, old friend." The Spirit King spoke with confidence. "You will see once you try."
Lucy took in a deep breath. "Okay." She exhaled. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's do this. Send me back."
Her newly acquainted friends all beamed at her.
"Take your time with your mom. We will be preparing everything for when you come back." Mavis grinned.
"It was a pleasure, old friend." The Spirit King smiled. "Until we meet again." He bowed his large head towards her.
Lucy thanked them earnestly before turning to Loke.
He grabbed her hand and gingerly placed a kiss right on top of it.
"Loke." She exasperatedly chided with a roll of her eyes.
He winked before turning her hand over to place his golden zodiac key into her palm. "I'm sending you back alone. I'll be staying here a little longer to help map out the locations of the rest of the keys. Once that's done, I'll return to Fairy Tail to fill everyone in on all that's happened. In the meantime, you have my key." He smiled. "If you need anything, call me. I'll come right away."
When he released her hand, she held on tightly to the little key. "Got it." She returned his smile. "I'm ready."
"Of course you are." He grinned widely. "We'll see you soon, Lucy."
With that said, he pointed at her and she began to glow. She knew this meant that she was about to be traveling back to Earthland.
Just as she was about to disappear, Loke's eyes widened. "Oh, one last thing! Time runs a bit different on this dimension than it does on Earthland."
Lucy looked puzzled. "What does that mean?" But before she could find out, the spirit realm was gone.
Her heart began to accelerate. This was it. She was actually going to be going home. She was finally going to see her mother again, even if it was only temporarily. There was so much that she wanted to say; so much that she wanted to ask. She didn't know where she would begin…
When the bright light around her faded, she found herself face to face with Fairy Tail. The guild stood tall and strong, beckoning her to go inside and immerse herself amongst everyone once more.
But right now, she was on a mission. Her mom was waiting on her, as she had been for a long time. She turned towards the direction of Natsu's house and took one step forward when she heard a voice come from behind her.
"Lucy?" They asked incredulously.
The blonde swirled around to find Levy staring at her with wide eyes. It was like the bluenette was seeing a ghost. She uncertainly stepped towards Lucy and reached out a hand. "Lu, it's actually you. What- how- no, where-"
Lucy forced a smile before interrupting her. "I'm sorry, Lev. I can't talk right now. I have to go."
Levy stopped in her advancement towards her friend. "Go? W-wait, what do you mean?" She shook her head. "You just got back, right?"
"I'm going home, Lev. I have to go see my mom." Lucy began walking backwards. "Tell everyone in the guild I'm sorry. I'll explain everything whenever I get back, okay? There's no time right now."
Without waiting for Levy's response, she turned on her heel and ran through the woods. She felt bad leaving her friend without an explanation, but she'd be back soon and she promised herself that she'd make it up to Levy. Maybe she'd bring her an armful of books from Earth. Lucy smiled at the thought. Yeah, she'd like that.
When Lucy arrived at Natsu's house, she flew straight to the spot where she had left her necklace of keys. She quickly unclasped the chain and exchanged Loke's key for the King's Key. She placed the necklace around her neck, closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
In her mind she recalled the lessons that the Spirit King had given her.
"When you hold the key, you will feel a tingling sensation begin in the palm of your hand. Focus on it. Allow the key's magic to spread from your palm and flow throughout your entire body. You will know when you're ready. Once the magic is circulating throughout your entire being, simply tell the key where it is that you would like to go. This is vital to your transportation. The key will take you there, but only if you're absolutely focused on where it is that you're going. Once the stars have pinpointed your desired location, the key will begin to radiate and warm up. Light will encompass you and then you will be teleported through a doorway connecting you straight to your destination."
Lucy opened her eyes. She could do this. It was time.
She grasped the King's Key in her hand and felt the familiar tingles shoot up her palm. She imagined forcing that feeling to spread up her arm, through her chest, and all throughout her body. It didn't take long for the key to comply; soon her body was filling up with the strangest sensation. It was as if she could feel light and warmth spreading through her veins and it felt amazing.
Just as the Spirit King had said, she knew she was ready. The magic coursed through her entire body and soul. She felt as though the key was coaxing her to continue; almost like a soft, wispy voice spoke through her mind.Well? Where would you like to go?
Aright, Lucy. Focus. She thought of Earth. She pictured her home in her mind, clear as day. She could see it so perfectly; could imagine her mom opening the front door with a huge smile on her face.
The key began to heat up. It was working. Lucy was certain that she had done it right. She continued thinking about her home, focusing on it's exact location. The key started to glow. This was it. She was about to leave.
And then her focus came crashing down all around her. The door burst open and Natsu stormed inside. What? Her eyes widened.
"Nats-ooph!" He slammed into her, knocking the air out of her as they flew backwards together.
Lucy only had a split second to panic before the bright light completely surrounded both her and Natsu and they were thrown through a doorway leading to another world entirely.
OoOoOoO
Lucy's second time through the 'rabbit hole' was just like the first. Bright colors blurred past her at an ungodly speed, creating a colorful illusion of a tunnel. The only difference with this experience was that it was over a lot faster the second time around. The Spirit King had mentioned that the key would allow her to travel faster once she actually learned how to use it.
Before she knew it, the tunnel came to an end. Both her and Natsu were deposited from the rabbit hole, which immediately closed afterwards, and they hit the ground hard. The unexpected impact caused them to topple over and roll across the soft grass a couple of times until they came to a dizzying halt.
When Lucy finally managed to catch her breath, she shot up to her knees in pure panic.
"Natsu, what are you doing here?!" Her eyes were wild as she looked around, hoping to find her house close by. However, her hopes were immediately dashed when she realized that she didn't recognize any of her surroundings. It appeared that they had been dumped in a large field, speckled with wild flowers. Off in the distance, she could make out a city, but not one that looked familiar to her at all.
Her stomach twisted in fear. She had lost her focus the moment she'd seen Natsu. Who knows where the key had taken them! It definitely wasn't the location she'd been hoping for. And not only that, but Natsu was there too. If they really were on Earth, then he'd stick out like a sore thumb!
"Ughh." Was Natsu's only response from his curled up position on the ground. The rocky landing must have made him motion sick. Or maybe traveling through the rabbit hole had, Lucy wasn't quite sure. He shakily pushed himself to his knees with a groan.
Lucy continued to panic. "Oh God, do you even know where you are?" Her hands flew to her head where she twisted her fingers in her hair. "No, you can't know that, I don't even know where we are!" She looked around once more, desperately hoping to find something familiar that would identify their location. "Ohh, Natsu, what were you thinking when you-"
Without warning, Natsu was right in front of her. He grasped onto her shoulders and suddenly his eyes were all that she could see. They held a lot of unspoken emotions in them and they completely mesmerized her; sadness, relief, happiness, hurt and a little bit of anger all swam together in his olive green irises. Her panic was momentarily forgot as she stared into them. "What do you mean what am I thinking? What are you thinking, Lucy?!"
Lucy froze, eyes wide as saucers.
Natsu continued. "You disappeared to Mavis knows where with Loke. You were gone for an entire week without so much as a word to let anyone know you were alright. Then you come back, just to turn around and leave again without even saying goodbye to me? Or to anyone? Dammit, Luce, I was really worried about you, okay?"
A week?! Sothat's what Loke had meant when he said that time ran differently in the two dimensions? What felt like a mere hour to Lucy had actually been days for Natsu. No wonder Levy had looked so freaked out when she saw her…And no wonder Natsu was as worked up as he is right now.
Lucy's mouth opened and closed. She couldn't form the right words to say. She hadn't meant to put him through any of that...she felt immensely guilty for it, even though she had no idea. She'd only intended to travel to Earth alone so that she could tell her mom she was okay and come right back. But Natsu probably thought that she was trying to leave Earthland for good, without saying bye to any of their comrades, or to him.
Natsu watched her as she struggled to find her voice. He took a moment to take a couple of deep breaths before looking into her eyes once more.
"Natsu…I-I.." She stuttered, hoping to explain everything that had happened but she didn't know where to begin.
Natsu sighed and closed his eyes. "Look..." He began. "I know you can take care of yourself and do things on your own, I've seen how strong you are. So it's not like I doubt you or anything." His hands slid down her arms and came to a stop when they were grasped around her elbows. "It's only…I just…" He leaned forward until his forehead was resting against her shoulder. Lucy flushed as her eyes widened even further, which she didn't think was possible. "I kinda thought we were a team. So…if ya wanna do things by yourself from now on, it's fine. Just tell me, okay? And at least let me know you're alright."
Lucy's eyes began to water. "No." She whispered. No, this wasn't right. He wasn't supposed to think any of this. It was absurd. She would never want that! "No." She repeated before placing her hands on either side of his face and lifting gently until he was looking at her once more. "Weare a team, Natsu. I'm so sorry." Her voice cracked and her arms moved of their own accord as they wrapped around Natsu's neck and pulled him tightly against her in an embrace.
"This has all been a big misunderstanding and I'm so sorry for all of it. I didn't mean to worry you, or make you feel any of that, Natsu. I'll explain everything to you, justplease don't think we're not a team, because we are." She pulled back just enough to look at Natsu again. His eyes were wide, staring very intently into her own.
She felt her face warm from that intense gaze, but she continued. "A-and…I don't want that at all. To do things on my own, I mean. I wouldn't ever want to do that when I could do them with you. After all, things are always more fun when we're together." She smiled hesitantly, silently praying that that he would forgive her.
Was it just her imagination or were Natsu's cheeks a little red? She shook off that thought and nervously awaited his reaction. He blinked once. A simple "Oh" was all he was able to come up with for a moment. Then he smiled faintly. "Oh." He repeated. "Well then. Um. Good."
Lucy couldn't help the giggle that escaped from watching his dumbstruck reaction. He clearly hadn't been expecting her response to be anything like that at all.
Natsu melted at the sound of her laugh and was able to finally relax his tense muscles. His big, sharp-toothed grin plastered itself onto his face. It had been too long since he'd heard her laugh. Or speak. Or seen her smile. Or seen her in general. His weirdo alien best friend was back and, from the sounds of it, it didn't seem like she'd be really leaving him-er, Fairy Tail anytime soon.
Speaking of leaving…Natsu finally took a good look around their current location. "So, uhh. Where are we, Luce?" Natsu asked in a completely carefree tone.
And just like that, Lucy's stomach dropped once more.
Voila! I really liked writing this chapter. I'VE BEEN WAITING TO SEND NATSU AND LUCY TO A DIFFERENT WORLD TOGETHER SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING! YAYYY!
I hope everyone enjoyed this bit of fluff at the end ^_^ yay, NaLu reunited!
Any questions? What'd you guys think?:D I can't wait to hear from you!
aidansidhe: No, no, I completelyy agree with you! I've read fics that literally drag out the jealousy and the 'does she/he like me' bit for over 50 chapters and it literally makes me want to pull my hair out with frustration! I promise there will be no love triangles in this story! Loke's just too big of a flirt for his own good in the series, so I tried to convey that side of him here in this story as well. BUT, I'm with you on all that:) I promise!
CelestialLunaPanda-Senpai: Hahaha, Thank you so much! Your review made me really happy! You're very very sweet to say that about my mom! I really appreciate it and so does she! That means a lot to me:) Ahaha, and then your review only got better when you talked about your pink fluffy unicorn! Hahaha, I laughed so hard at that! OH NO! NOT THE PINK FLUFFY UNICORN! I'm afraid I have no choice but to continue writing then if I hope to avoid being tickled to death ^_^ Thank you so much!
SulliMike23: Ahhh, thank you, thank you!:D I always love the questions that you come up with. It's interesting to read what people are curious about at the end of each chapter:) Unfortunately, I didn't answer either of those questions in this chapter! But the one concerning Layla will be answered very soon!:D
arcadea333: AHHHH YAYYY! I KNOWW, IT'S SO GOOD TO BE BACK! T^T I was away far too long! I'm sorry for such a long delay! But oh my goshhh, I literally snorted and choked on laughter when I read your review! Ahaha, I told my mom that one my friends online said that fanfiction royalty was made in her womb and she got a kick out of it too! Hahaha, that was so great. You're so awesome! Thank you a hundred times for your review, and every review you leave for that matter! And I'm glad I'm able to throw in some plot twists to surprise you!;D
FireShifter: hehehe, thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you feel that way about Layla! That's exactly the kind of emotions I was hoping to convey about her. A mixture of resentment for her abandoning Earthland, but also a bit of compassion because she was scared for her daughter and only wanted to keep her safe more than anything. Also, we'll find out more about Jude veryyyy soon! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!:D YAY NALU! And omg, yes, I loveee writing Loke and Mavis! I really enjoy both of their characters a lot so it makes me really happy to hear you say that their personalities were captured well! THANKYOUUUU
FranFranWriter: Ahhh, THANK YOU SO MUCH! You're awesome!:D I'm so happy that you started my story, and I can't wait for you to catch up to everything so I can hear what you think!:D Hehehe, I love Natsu's sassiness! He's such a smartass in the actual series, and I think people forget that sometimes, so I'm glad to hear that someone else enjoys his antics^_^ Thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoy the rest!:D
You guys are so awesome, as usual! You fill me with joy! ^_^ Here's to you all! *cheers*
Thanks for reading and be sure to tell me what you think!
Also, I really need an editor T^T just an FYI in case anyone is interested!
Have a wonderful night!
XOXOXOXO
-Mac