Chapter 26: True Love

Natsu watched Lucy's unmoving body. He dotted the side of her head with a moist rag as she lay still on the bed.

It had been three months since they had taken Lucy to the small island somewhere near the coast of North Carolina that held Elfman and Mirajane's personal residence, and she had yet to move a muscle. The fact that she hadn't begun decomposing was virtually the only thing that let them know that she was still alive. She had no pulse, no heartbeat, no brain activity, and showed no other signs of life. Her body was at a temperature of sixty five degrees farenheight; a normal person with that temperature would be dead. Lucy's amazing biology continued to amaze them, even as they solemnly watched over her near-dead body.

Elfman and Mirajane take Lucy to their private residence where they would not have to worry about the government finding out about her. They were on one of the numerous tiny islands in the straights between the North Carolinian mainland and Bermuda. There was little chance that they would be discovered, giving them time to decide how to treat Lucy.

Her wounds were stitched together, but given the amount of internal damage, it was really up to her amazing, but still mortal, biology to keep her alive. All they could do was keep her in a stable state by sheltering her from the elements and giving her moisture to keep her hydrated. Through scans of her body, they discovered that she was indeed healing, yet they weren't sure whether she would survive, and if she did if she would be who she once was.

All brain activity had ceased, and if she were to wake up, they were unsure if she would still have memories of what had happened or if she would revert to her old state. It would be extremely bad if she were to wake up with no consciousness other than the killing instinct she was created with.

Natsu spent nearly his entire time at Lucy's bedside. The others would help too, but most of the time he was alone with Lucy. Natsu longed to see her open her eyes again, to hold her in his arms. It hurt him greatly to watch her like this, but he could not look away. He felt as if spending time away from her was equivalent to abandoning her. He couldn't leave Lucy's side.

"So how is she today?" Erza asked, walking into the room. Natsu looked up and put on a fake smile.

"Her wounds are healing up. Theoretically, her body should be functional by now, at least in terms of life functions. It's only a matter of waking her mind up," Natsu said.

"Well, we can only hope for the best," Erza said with a sigh. Suddenly Gray ran into the room.

"We've been discovered," Gray said quickly, "There are several soldiers that have come to inspect the area. We have to get her out of here before they get to this point." Natsu stood up, alarmed.

"Do they know about Lucy?" he asked.

"I don't know, but if they discover her they'll put the pieces together, so hurry up and get her out of here! We have a boat on the other side of the island ready for you, you'll have to take her and get out. We can't go with you, so I guess this is goodbye."

Natsu nodded in understanding. He put his arms under Lucy and picked her up. He ran to the doorway, turning to face them.

"Thanks for everything. Tell Elfman and Mirajane thank you for me as well," Natsu said.

"We will, now hurry, before they get here. And thank you for everything Natsu." Erza said. Natsu nodded and ran out.

Natsu carried Lucy to the other side of the island. He went as fast as he could, careful not to hurt Lucy, and finally reached the other side, where there was a small boat prepared for them. Natsu got into the boat and set Lucy down in an empty chair in the deckhouse. He wished there was a bed to set her in, but this was the best he could do. He carefully strapped her in and leaned the chair back so that she was in a semi-lying position before starting the boat and going off.

He wasn't sure where he would go, but knew that he had to get Lucy away from where they currently were. He decided that their best route would be to go to the Bahamas. There, they could at least manage to arrange passage to a more neutral part of the world, where they would be free from this life they had both lived. He wanted nothing more than to settle down in a simple home with Lucy and live the rest of their lives together peacefully. It was a stretch, given the circumstances, but he maintained hope.

They travelled for hours, well into the night. Natsu frequently checked on Lucy, making sure that she was in stable condition.

That night there was a large storm, and the small ship was tossed in the waves. For a while, Natsu attempted to navigate through the choppy waters, but soon realized the futility of it and resigned himself to letting the waves take the ship wherever they were meant to go. He took Lucy out of the chair and held onto her, making sure that the roughness of the sea did not hurt her.

The small boat was tossed and smashed by the waves. Natsu held onto Lucy, not letting go for a moment. The storm got worse, and one wave knocked the ship so hard that Natsu and Lucy were launched to the other side of the deckhouse. Natsu groaned as he got to his knees on the floor. He crawled over to where Lucy was lying on the floor. He embraced her still form.

"I can't take it anymore. I can't go on, Lucy. Everything seems hopeless without you," Natsu whispered to her, tears coming from his eyes, "Why won't you wake up? Why must you be like this? Why?" He began crying over her. His tears hit her face.

"This wasn't how it was supposed to have happened. I don't know how much longer I can take this. Who am I kidding, I was a fool to think that we could ever be together. The world is against our love Lucy, and now we're going to get smashed to pieces in a storm! I just can't take this anymore…"

As Natsu cried over her, tears fell upon Lucy's face. Suddenly her eyelid twitched, and slowly opened. Her vision was blurry for a moment, but soon focused on the person above her.

"Natsu?" Lucy whispered. Natsu looked up, disbelieving what he had heard.

"Lucy…you're awake! You're awake Lucy! I can't believe it!" Natsu said joyfully, he lifted Lucy up and kissed her. Though tired and weak, Lucy kissed him back, feeling the life return to her body as their lips met in a burst of passion.

"Oh Natsu…I'm so glad to see you again!" Lucy whispered into his ear, giving him kisses all over his face.

"Lucy, I thought I might never see you open your eyes again. I love you so much Lucy, I never want to be without you again," Natsu said.

"Oh Natsu, I love you too! I love you so much!" Lucy said, kissing Natsu passionately. They kissed and held each other in their arms even as the storm raged around them. Nothing could separate them. Their love erupted that night in a surge of passion.

The next morning they lay cuddled together on the floor of the deckhouse, their clothes laying off to the side. The storm had passed and the sun was now out. Lucy woke up first, smiling as she saw that Natsu was lying on top of her, his face snuggled into her breasts. She giggled, stroking his hair. Natsu's brilliant eyes slowly opened and gazed at Lucy.

"Good morning Natsu," Lucy said quietly.

"Good morning Lucy," Natsu said.

"I think the storms over. Where to next?" Lucy asked. Natsu gave Lucy a kiss.

"I don't care. As long as I'm with you, my life is perfect. For now though, lets just stay like this," he said. Lucy nodded and hugged Natsu closer to her, closing her eyes in relaxation as she lay snuggled up with her true love.

END OF CHAPTER

DW: Hooray! Lucy has woken up and Natsu and Lucy are now together! But there's still one chapter left guys! Stay tune and read and review!