Hello Fairies and Welcome to my FINAL CHAPTER! yes you heard correct this is the final segment in this story. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thank you to all my reviewers and the people who favourited and followed my story. Thank you for the support it always made my day!
If you enjoy my writing don't be afraid to check out my other stories. The Prince and the Thief and Separation is another Fairy Tail story with my favourite couple Natsu and Lucy. Also I just began a new story for any of you Attack on Titan fans check it out and tell me what you think.
I can't say thank you enough but it's been a pleasure writing for you all.
I do not own Fairy Tail
Enjoy and Thanks again :)
The sun had fallen behind the heavy grey clouds and the light sound of rain pattering against the Guild roof echoed throughout the empty bar. Not many people were at the guild this time due to the gloomy weather. Only a few people were mulling around. Levy was content in a corner reading her many books as her magic replenished from the extensive amount of seal-breaking she had to do in the past few weeks. Gajeel was close by his head resting on his chest as he took a nap beside his favourite Solid Script Mage and Cana was drinking with the master. Wakaba, and Macao were dealing cards and smoking in another corner and Mira and Lisanna were behind the bar cleaning and serving the few people present.
However Team Natsu was nowhere in sight. It had been a week and a half since the incident under the mountain and the team had barely left each other's company as they fretted over their precious Stellar Spirit Mage. However as team Natsu was missing from the guild one blonde sat alone at the bar. Her chin was resting on her hand and her eyes were closed as she enjoyed the few moments of peace that the guild could offer.
"How are you feeling Lucy?" Mira's voice rang in Lucy's ears and she cracked open an eye to see the silver haired mage looking down at her with a warm smile.
"I've been better," Lucy said as she shifted in her seat but she cringed as she felt one of her wounds tighten. Lucy may have been out of the infirmary for a few days but her wounds had been healing incredibly slowly. Not even Wendy's Magic could speed up the healing process. It was a mystery and Lucy had to wait for her wounds to heal. Her entire stomach was still covered in bandages were deep cuts had slashed across her stomach, and her hands and wrists still held the bruises and scars of the shackles, reminding her of the torture she went through. Her body was still littered with small cuts, most vanishing from site but deeper ones were leaving their mark behind. Lucy's eyes were dull from exhaustion and anyone who looked at her could tell that she was still traumatized from the ordeal that her mind and body went through that day.
"It's only been a few days Lucy you can't expect to gain all your strength back. What you went through most mages would have died in the process," Mira said as she tried to offer encouragement to Lucy's bleak situation not knowing it would create a sour reaction in the blonde.
"I only lived because the Spirit King granted me strength. I should technically be dead," Lucy said in a little voice before she could stop herself. She couldn't shake the feeling of how lucky she was. She thanked the Spirit King every day for the life he had granted her. However no matter how grateful she felt she could still fell a pit in her stomach that reminded her of what happened. She had died that day and her mind and body would never forget that.
"Don't say that Lucy," Mira said in a harsh and surprised tone making Lucy look up with an apologetic look.
"I know it's just…" Lucy began but trailed off as the pit in her stomach tightened. Her friends didn't know what had happened that day, and honestly Lucy didn't really understand it herself. She was alive now but it felt like she had a scar running through her body reminding her of the fate that she cheated out of. However Lucy had to focus on the present she was here now and that was what counted.
"Don't worry about it Mira I'll bounce back soon enough," Lucy said and gave Mira a warm smile to ease the barmaids worries. Lucy knew that her magic and energy would come back. Her body had almost been torn to pieces it would take a little longer than a week to be back up and running.
"Okay Lucy just let me know if you need anything," Mira said as she picked up a glass and began to clean it.
"I will. Have you seen Natsu or the team?" Lucy said as she turned around to look for her absent teammates. They had been glued to her side ever since the incident but today was the first day that she had found herself alone.
"Actually this is the first time I've see you without them attached to your hip and fussing over you," Mira said and Lucy couldn't help but smile.
"Yea they have been quite worried," Lucy said turning back around and leaning on her hand again. Sighing her mind slowly drifted to the weeks spent in the infirmary with her friends and Natsu. They came in every day to visit with her and keep her company and Natsu often slept there every night. It was a bit much but Lucy knew they had been worried and were just happy to have her back.
"How are you and Natsu?" Mira asked bringing Lucy back to the conversation at hand. Sighing Lucy closed her eyes.
"I don't really know. The same as ever I guess. He still breaks into my apartment and he won't leave me alone. I think he's afraid that I'm going to disappear again or keel over from exhaustion," Lucy said honestly. Lucy had thought that maybe something would have changed between her and Natsu, but Natsu still seemed to be the same. Minus the constant worrying and treating her like a porcelain doll, he was still the same Idiotic Dragon Slayer.
"Didn't you confess to him in the cavern?" Mira asked and Lucy could hear the matchmaking voice shinning through. Of course Mira had found out about that, nothing ever got past her when it came to her favourite guild couple.
"Yea… but you know how dense he can be," Lucy said as she ran a hand through her hair. She wasn't going to deny it. She had told Natsu how she felt but other things had happened that may have over shown her little confession. Natsu had fought her captor, she had died, then came back to life, and ended up in the infirmary for a week. Many things had happened and Natsu had never shared his feelings, or made any indication that anything had changed. They were still best friends from what she could tell.
"Some things will never change," Mira said shaking her head. But Lucy couldn't help but think that Mira didn't sound as disappointed as Lucy felt. Looking more closely at the barmaid Lucy could see a small smile playing across her pink lips. Mira was scheming something and Lucy didn't want to be around when she put her plans into action.
"Yea… well I'm going to head home. I'll stop by later okay," Lucy said as she slowly stood from her seat and attempted to put on her rain jacket. Mira came around to help her since Lucy couldn't put it on by herself.
"Don't push yourself to hard okay Lucy," Mira said as she zipped up Lucy's jacket and placed a hand on her shoulder. Mira truly was the mother of the guild.
"I won't," Lucy said as she made her way to the guild door. Pushing it open with more difficulty than usual she made it out into the cold and rainy day.
Lucy walked home alone. Her feet were getting wet from stepping into the puddles, and her mood decreased with each step. The man from the canal wasn't out today and everyone was hiding under their umbrellas. Lucy sighed. Where were her friends? Why did they leave without so much as a goodbye? She knew that had other things to do, but she thought they would have at least told her. It confused her and only made the pit in her stomach larger, slowly consuming her. Taking out her key she let herself into her apartment and made her way up to her room.
She opened her door and to her surprise she found the lights on, her place a mess, and a suitcase ready and waiting by the front door. Lucy stood there in shock and anger knowing exactly who had broken into her apartment yet again. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind, when the culprit walked swiftly into the room with a goofy grin plastered across his face. Before Lucy could yell and scream at him she noticed that he was carrying his own backpack and put it down next to hers.
"Natsu? What's going on?" Lucy said in a curious voice trying not to raise her voice to loud. Her throat still felt raw whenever she yelled at someone.
"We're leaving," he stated simply as he slung an arm tenderly around her shoulders and pulled her inside.
"WHAT! I thought you were okay with me not going on any missions till next week. I mean I still have injuries that aren't healing as quickly. I'm still exhausted and my magic is still~" Lucy started. Her panic and anger beginning to get the best of he as her mouth began to get ahead of her brain.
"Luce stop," Natsu said clamping a hand over her mouth. "Man your mouth really go's on a tangent sometime," he said with a laugh.
"Hey!" Lucy protested while pushing his hand away from her mouth and ducking out of his arms. Lucy hid on the other side side of the kitchen and glared at Natsu.
"Luce what I meant was that we are leaving for a vacation. Just you and me. It will give you time to gain your strength back, we can sleep in, have fun, and I know your still dealing with stuff about the incident so I thought it would be nice to get away for a little bit. What do you think?" he said. His grin spreading across his face once more as he smiled at her from across the kitchen table. Lucy stared at him for a long moment wondering if he was actually serious. Natsu didn't go on "vacations." His idea of a vacation was going to a haunted house, or going off to fight a monster.
"But what about my rent I need to go on really small missions so I can get enough money. I can't just leave and not pay her," Lucy said quickly making an excuse so she wouldn't have to go to a haunted house. However Natsu came to stand in front of her again.
"Already taken care of. Happy, Erza, Gray and I went on a mission today to pay for 2 months of your rent. We don't want you rushing yourself," Natsu said as he smiled down at her.
"Natsu you didn't have to do that," Lucy protested knowing that it must have been a dangerous and life/threating mission if it racked in that much Jewel.
"No Lucy we didn't, but we wanted too," he said and Lucy's heart swelled at the thought of her friends looking out for her. They always did have her back.
"Okay but where are we going?" Lucy finally asked the million-dollar question. If he said a haunted castle Lucy would kick him even with her injuries.
"It's a resort on an island just off the coast of the Serene Cliffs. It's supposed to be super relaxing and it has some awesome mountain hikes, snorkelling coves, surfing beaches, swimming and I heard it has amazing food," he said his hands flying around him as he explained the place and his eyes shown with excitement. Lucy was thoroughly confused. He looked way to excited to sit on a beach and do small activities that didn't sound life threatening at all. Lucy would admit it sounded like a beautiful place but she couldn't believe that Natsu was the one who picked it out. Lucy could only assume that someone else had. Her mind slowly registered what he had said earlier and she looked up at him with a skeptical eye.
"Natsu did you say it was just you and me going?" she asked and he stopped his hand waving to look down at her.
"Yea," Natsu said easily.
"What about Happy, Erza and Gray I thought they would want to join?" Lucy asked. The place Natsu described sounded something that Erza or Mira would pick, and she assumed that Erza had picked the place and her and Natsu were just tagging along.
"Nope. I told them they could join next time," he said and flicked one of her blonde locks behind her shoulder. Lucy blushed at the gesture but she was too confused by the entire situation to dwell on it.
"I don't understand Natsu why would you want to go with just the two of us?" Lucy demanded and looked up into his dark obsidian eyes.
"Isn't it obvious Luce? I want to spend time with you. Nobody else. Just you and me," he said pointing to Lucy than to himself. Lucy looked at him with a confused expression, not believing what she was hearing. Natsu took Lucy two bandaged hands in his own. He could feel her pulse accelerating and he smiled at the sound it made. A sound that he always wanted to hear.
"I'm not good with this kind of stuff, but your important to me Luce and I never want too leave you again. In the cavern I… I thought you died. It tore me apart Luce I couldn't handle even thinking about a future without you in it," he said looking down at their joined hands as he thought about those horrible seconds in the cavern.
"You're my partner, my other half. I thought I lost you and now I want to spend every day with you Luce. You're everything to me and I never want that to change. I thought this vacation could be the beginning of a lifetime of more adventures together," he said finally raising his eyes to Lucy hoping that she would accept his offer. Natsu began to panic as he saw tears streaming down her face. Oh no he made her cry! Why was she crying?
"Oh no you think I'm crazy don't you. Don't cry Lucy I'm sorry. I knew I shouldn't have taken Mira's advice and just blurt out everything off the top of my head. What was I thinking of course you don't want to go you hate hiking and~" Natsu was cut off abruptly as he felt Lucy's hands on either side of his face. Lucy was smiling up at him and he couldn't help but smile back even if his heart felt like it was going to fall out of his chest. Then Lucy stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. Natsu was surprised for half a second before he melted into the embrace and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her closer. After a few seconds of pure bliss Lucy broke away and smiled up at him.
"You Idiot Dragon Slayer. Of course I would love to go," she said laughing and wiping away the tears of joy that had cascaded down her face.
"Really?" Natsu said with his child-like enthusiasm as he looked down at her with wide hopeful and caring eyes.
"It's always more fun when were together right?" Lucy said as she laughed into his chest loving everything about this moment.
"Always," Natsu said as he grabbed Lucy's hand and his backpack and Lucy grabbed her own suitcase.
"To our next adventure," Natsu said as he leaned down and kissed Lucy once more before they took off towards the train station. Beginning their new adventure together.
For Natsu and Lucy they both knew that Time was something that would always be against them. Instead of living in the past and worrying over the "what if's" and "could have's" they looked towards their future together and lived for each adventure, moment, and memory they had together. They had been through many things together and they knew that if they had each other they could overcome whatever life threw at them. They knew that anything could happen at any given moment, but when they were together not even time could slow them down.