AN/: HEEEY! It's been a while.. well that's what it feels like to me. I promised a special chapter once the story reached 300 reviews and lookie here! It has! *blows on party blower and uses confetti popper thingy* TADA! Here is a LONG chapter for you guys. It's not the longest chapter I've written, but it's long. It also has a lovely surprise at the end for all of you awesome NaLu shippers out there. So, dive in and enjoy this chapter!
"T-take control?" Lucy asked as if she wasn't sure that those were the words that were actually said. Take control, her and Natsu? Was that what her mother was really telling her? Did she really have to do something that drastic and risky? And what exactly did she mean by 'take control'? What was it, a rebellion, a revolution, a war?
Layla nodded in reply. Lucy noted that her mother looked rather worried and apologetic. She also saw, out of the corner of her eye, that Natsu looked quite… detached. He looked like he was somewhere else entirely. Lucy figured that he was probably thinking about everything that they'd heard.
If Lucy knew Natsu, and she did, he was still trying to set everything in his mind straight, like sorting through a countless number of cluttered and disorganized filing cabinets. Even Lucy herself was still trying to put everything where it was supposed to be. The idea of her and Natsu taking control in Leafre had been successfully put into the category of things that were currently frying her brain. How was she supposed to take control of her supposed 'kingdom' if she was still training and learning to master the elements of her magic? Heck, maybe everything she'd been hearing was all just some part of a crazy, elaborate dream that was determined to drive her crazy.
But, then again, that wouldn't quite make sense, would it? Lucy knew that dreams were just compilations of thoughts and memories that the mind pulls from your subconscious. It dragged randomly selected things from the mind and mashed them together to make a dream. That's what could make a dream crazy or realistic, or even both. They could be funny dreams, memories, nightmares, wishes, or just downright confusing.
Lucy knew that it was no dream. If it were a dream, she must have been sleeping for ages and she must've known things that she didn't know she knew. No, it wasn't a dream. She knew what a dream was. She knew what her dreams were. Sure, she didn't always remember all of them, but she could easily remember one…
One dream… how could she remember one dream so vividly by simply dancing around the subject in her mind? The dream of her and Natsu… together; that glorious dream where he'd serenaded her on their 'anniversary' was the one dream that, once she started thinking about it, it wouldn't leave her thoughts easily. Then there was that one incident that Lucy would never forget, no matter how hard she tried: their first kiss.
Lucy couldn't understand why she was thinking about that at the moment. Of all things, her first kiss with Natsu was what she was thinking about. She supposed it was better than thinking about taking over in Leafre.
The blonde suddenly realized that, somewhere in all the chaos, she'd forgotten about discussing that with Natsu, their kiss, what it meant. Perhaps, after they got out of Heaven she would confront him about it. But, what if he wasn't ready to do that? What if he didn't know why he'd kissed her? Did she even know why she kissed him back? She knew, well, somewhere in herself, she knew why, but she didn't consciously know. She hadn't really given it too much thought.
"Lucy?" the deceased Dragon Queen called out in question. Her daughter had spaced out for who knew how long in thought. What was she thinking about? Layla could see, however subtle it was, a light tint of pink on her little princess' cheeks. So, she was thinking about him, was she? If Lucy hadn't snapped out of her daze Layla would've let out a soft giggle. She'd always known that Natsu and Lucy were meant for each other.
"Yes, mother?" Lucy said almost emotionlessly. How could she have been dragged so deep into thought?
Lucy looked troubled by all the things that had been happening. Layla took pity on her daughter. Instead of teasing her about thinking about her beloved Natsu, she simply gave the young Dragon Master some comforting words.
"You don't have to worry about everything all at once, Lucy dear," she said with a tender smile gracing her lips.
"B-but…" Lucy began. How could she not worry about it all at once when there was so much to worry about?
"You don't have to parade into Leafre and overthrow some kind of power-crazed tyrant, Lucy. You just have to enter your kingdom and put your foot down; show them who's really in charge. Remind them, that without you, they can't live," Layla said with an encouraging smile. "And Lucy, you can do that after training," she finished with a smile.
Lucy smiled at her mother appreciatively. Her mother had always known what to say and do to make her feel better. Relief washed over the blonde mage as her mother's words sank in. Those words weren't too hard to take in, and were something that Lucy was more than happy to take into consideration. She could finish her training before she had to face a bunch of human-hating dragons.
Natsu was indeed lost in his thoughts. There was, after all, so much to think about. His memories were one thing. How could he have been friends with someone as amazing as Lucy when he was a kid and then forget about her? How could he have forgotten about the girl that he had come to love with all his heart? And his mother, how could he forget her? He knew why, he just couldn't believe it. And if he'd forgotten about his mother and Lucy, then how come he didn't forget about Igneel?
Natsu didn't know how long he'd been silent, but after a while, he finally voiced his thoughts.
"How come I remember Igneel? If you took away my memories of you and Lucy, then how come I still remember Igneel? I was still training with him at the time, right?" the pink-haired teen asked his deceased mother. Lillian sighed before answering.
"I picked through your memories. I didn't take them away, I only suppressed them. You still have them, you just need to bring them forth," the pink-haired woman explained to her son. He still looked confused, so Lillian let out another sigh and laughed lightly.
"Picture it like this," Lillian began, "you remember me, but you can't. It's like when you meet a new person. You remember them, but sometimes you can't. They're there, but they're just hiding." Lillian looked hopefully at her son, hoping that he would understand what she was trying to say.
Natsu nodded slowly.
"So, I just forgot about you and Lucy, or couldn't remember you as well as I could remember Igneel?" Natsu asked trying to see if he'd understood what his mother had explained. Lillian nodded in confirmation. Natsu nodded too, more to assure himself than anything else.
It was awkwardly silent for a moment. Natsu had only caught a small portion of what Lucy and her mother had been talking about. It was something about taking over, but he didn't quite understand how that had to do with what he was thinking about at the moment. It was something that he'd worry about later.
"So, what now?" Lucy asked a little awkwardly. "We know what happened and all that stuff, do we go and tell Wendy and Gajeel? Do we need to do anything with their memories?" Lucy asked trying to piece a mental puzzle together. What were they supposed to do now?
"You'll have little to do with their memories," Lillian answered. "But, you should tell them of their purpose. When the time comes, they'll be able to help you."
"Here's what I suggest doing," Layla chimed in. "go back to your guild and tell them everything about yourself. Tell them about me, Natsu, Wendy, Gajeel, the dragons, your kingdom, what's going on; tell them everything. I'm sure that Fairy Tail will be with you two every step of the way," the late Dragon Queen said.
Natsu and Lucy nodded, notifying the two women that they understood.
"Lucy, continue to train. You have many friends that would lay down their lives for you, but rely on your own strength before anyone else's. Rely on your comrades' strength to help you get up after you've fallen, not before you've given it your all," Layla instructed. Lucy nodded firmly, taking her mother's words very seriously.
"During that time, take time to help unlock Natsu's memories, Lucy. You're probably the only one who can. And restore the rest of yours as best as you can. Natsu may also be able to help you, though I'm not sure exactly how much," Lillian said.
"I understand, but how will we know what to do? This… this is all so much," Lucy said, her voice shaking with fear as she thought of all the things that could go wrong, all the things that could happen.
"Lucy," Layla began, stroking her daughter's cheek gently and lovingly, "I know that you can overcome whatever life throws at you. You'll know what to do when the time comes," she said with a gentle smile.
Lucy wanted to grimace at the words, but she didn't. Instead, she smiled back at her mother. Though the words her mother spoke were beyond cliché, she knew that her mother wouldn't have said them if they didn't hold some sort of truth. Really, Lucy had read that line over a million times in the dozens of novels she'd read during her life. Every time she read those words she rolled her eyes. Couldn't the writer think of something more original to say? But, she guessed that some phrases would never die out, no matter how cliché they were. Like the phrase 'are we there yet?'
"You two should get going now. You have many things to do," Lillian said with a light chuckle. The two mothers embraced their children in tight, warm embraces before a blinding light enveloped them.
They didn't know how it had happened, but when the light faded, they were back in Magnolia. Their mothers were gone, Luka was nowhere in sight, and they were beyond disoriented. They were in the clearing in Symphonia Forest, the setting sun trickling through the trees and casting a brilliant shine over everything. The crystal-blue waters of the waterfall and pond now looked like glittering, liquid gold.
"What happened?" Natsu asked looking around in a daze. One second he was in his mother's arms, the next he was back in Magnolia.
"I think they sent us back," Lucy said also looking around. The scenery was gorgeous, almost rivaling that of the sunset in the palace foyer in Leafre. Oh, if only Natsu would remember that day when they watched the sunset together.
Lucy flopped to the ground and laid back on the soft grass, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply before reopening her eyes and gazing over at Natsu.
"You know, the sunset here almost reminds me of the sunsets in Leafre," Lucy said averting her eyes from Natsu and staring out into the distance, looking into the memory instead of anything around her.
"Really?" Natsu asked curiously. He sat down beside his favorite blonde and began picking at the grass.
"Yeah, I remember once that you'd visited the palace and I'd promised you that I'd shoe you the sunset in the palace foyer." Lucy let out a long breath of air.
"So, I watched the sunset with you in Leafre?" Natsu asked trying to piece things together. Maybe he would remember something if he could just get her to explain everything.
"Yeah, you did, after we laughed our asses off for no particular reason." Lucy giggled at the memory. They were so childish that it was adorable.
Natsu gave her a confused look, so she decided that she would just tell Natsu everything. Besides, if she did, maybe he would remember more or his own memories. What she really wanted to do was talk about that kiss, though. It was glued at the front of her mind and had been since she'd thought of it in Heaven. It would have to wait, though. Natsu would have to come first and Lucy found that she really liked being there for her best friend…
The words sounded so wrong. He seemed like so much more than a best friend to Lucy. But, what else could he be? It wasn't like he was her lover. Wouldn't that imply that she loved him?
"Lucy?" Natsu said. Lucy had spaced out and Natsu hadn't been sure if he should've broken into her thoughts. But, he'd opened his mouth already, so it was too late.
"Oh, uh, sorry, I was just thinking. Anyways, we had been playing hide-n-seek. I couldn't find you so I gave up but you still didn't come out so I got worried. I'd walked over by the side of the staircase and you jumped out from behind the curtains and kind of… threw yourself on me," Lucy said explaining the memory to Natsu.
To Natsu's surprise, he began to see the setting filling in, the events taking place in the blank memory. He could see the light purple drapes and the slightly irritated blonde princess. He watched the memory fill in, a young version of himself shouting 'boo' and throwing his arms around a small Lucy. Before, he would have wondered why he chose to throw his arms around her, or most likely, he wouldn't have thought anything of it. He knew, though, that it was because, even back then, he loved Lucy.
"We watched the sunset after we stopped laughing," Lucy chuckled. "We were rolling on the floor laughing until we ran out of breath."
Lucy smiled longingly. What she wouldn't give to see the look on the young Natsu's face again, only on Natsu's face now. She realized that there was something there before, something she couldn't quite put a name to.
"When we watched the sunset, I told you that it was the prettiest thing I'd ever seen. I asked you if it was the prettiest thing you'd ever seen and—"
"I said no, didn't I?" Natsu asked, cutting her off and smiling down at Lucy before looking out in the distance for a moment.
"Yeah," Lucy said breathlessly. A smile grew onto her lips. He was remembering. Natsu was remembering the sunset in the palace foyer.
"I said that you were the prettiest thing I'd ever seen," Natsu said. Lucy sat up and smiled warmly at her partner that sat next to her. He remembered what they'd said. She felt so happy that she could help Natsu in such a short time. But there were still other things to help him remember, like his mother.
Natsu wasn't one who knew much about romance; building up romantic moments, flirting and charming girls, like in the romantic novels that Lucy read. He was one to go on instinct, which was what he was doing now. He just hoped that it would turn out well. He didn't think that it would be romantic in any way, though. But, what did he know about romance?
Natsu slid in front of Lucy, climbing on top of her and causing her to lean back onto the ground. His hand caught her back before it touched the ground and he brought the blonde closer.
"I still think you are, you know," he said with a genuine smile. Lucy's eyes went wide. What was he doing? "Only, I think I was wrong. You aren't just pretty. You're beautiful. Everything about you is beautiful," Natsu said as he pressed his forehead to hers. He had positioned himself so that his knees were resting between her legs.
"N-Natsu?" Lucy said questioningly as if asking if he realized what he was doing.
"Hey, Luce, do you remember when we were six and we said anything that was on our minds? You know, when we would say things without really realizing it?" Lucy nodded slowly. Where was he going with this?
"Well, I kind of wish I was six again," he said scrunching his brows slightly. "Maybe then it wouldn't be so hard to tell you that I love you." His breathing had increased its pace and a deep blush painted his cheeks. See? If he was six he would be so nervous after confessing. He'd just go back to playing and being a kid. He honestly had no idea why he was confessing now, but he'd been acting on instinct. It seemed that his instincts thought that it was a great time to confess to Lucy that he was desperately and hopelessly in love with her.
Lucy was blushing about a million shades of red. He loved her. Natsu loved her. Her best friend had just confessed to her.
There was that feeling in the pit of her stomach again. Saying 'best friend' just didn't sound right. It wasn't enough. That was when she realized it. She loved him too. That was why she didn't want to call him her best friend. She wanted more than that, she just hadn't realized it. Why had it taken her so long to realize that?
Lucy didn't have time to say anything in response to Natsu's confession. Not that she could form coherent thoughts at the moment anyways.
Natsu pressed his lips against hers gently. Her lips were still as soft as they were the last time he'd kissed her. Only this kiss was different. He loved her and he knew it and that sent a wave of pleasure through him. He cherished those sweet lips; wanted them to belong to him forever. He wanted Lucy to belong to him forever, every single inch of her.
Natsu deepened the kiss, pushing against her warm lips harder. He was surprised when he felt Lucy push back.
Lucy let her eyes slip shut and she kissed Natsu back. Here she was kissing Natsu yet again. She let her arms wind around his neck and pulled him closer to her. She was kissing Natsu, the man she loved with all of her heart. She never wanted to let go of him, afraid that he might disappear. It seemed to be a bad habit of the people in the Fairy Tail guild to disappear.
Natsu pulled away for much needed oxygen and pressed his forehead against hers once more. He had once again kissed Lucy Heartfilia. He had kissed Lucy Natsuko Heartfilia, the Dragon Princess of Leafre, and his best friend. He began to panic on the inside. What if she didn't love him back? But then, why would she kiss him back?
"Lucy, I'll do anything and everything I can to protect you. Not only because it's what I was meant to do from the very beginning, but because I am so hopelessly in love with you," Natsu confessed with a shaky voice. Their breathing was still raged from their kiss and their chests heaved from their labored breathing.
Lucy looked up at Natsu with half-lidded eyes.
"Natsu, I…" Lucy began.
END NOTE: How was it? Are you guys gonna kill me because of the cliffy? If so, at least warn me so I can defend myself. I didn't mean for this to be a really really dramatic cliffy, but if it is then oh well. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you thought please. You know I love hearing from you guys. If my story, Author's Notes isn't enough proof, then I don't know what else to do... :) Anyways, Crossworlds has been updated again. I suggest reading it. Though it may seem boring now, it'll get a LOT better, I promise! The story is just moving slowly, that's all. Well, until next time...
~Alice-chan