This is chapter is significantly shorter but ya'll been waiting for updates so ya'll get one! I'm surprised I came to my senses of inspiration and came up with this. But I'm just so sorry if this seemed so rush, it kinda is because my goal is to finish this story before April ends but if it doesn't, that's also fine. Despite that, I hope you still like this one. I'm still so concerned of what you think of this story. This story just had so much ups and downs, you have no idea how much revision and different paths I twisted from the original idea but honestly, I liked how this turned out to be :)

Guest Wow! Thank you for dedicating your time (which you can't take back now) for reading all the way up to this point haha I really appreciate it! and I can't tell you how it ends because that will spoil what I have in store, just continue reading until you reach the end which is really close :) I hope you're still reading hihi

cloudcather haha yeah I left all of you hanging haha thanks for the support and you will know so so very soon (probably the next chapter but I could be wrong, who knows? *shrugs shoulders*) ;)

TopazDesiertoFleur yes I'm so sorry for the painful cliffhanger ;) but I hope this makes up for it. Although I'm telling you now, next chapter would be great ;)

Reviews, favorites and follows are very much appreciated! Thank you for the love :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

Between Two Neighbors

No. I wasn't dreaming.

I wasn't hallucinating.

This is real.

Natsu isn't dead. He's right here in front of me. He's alive. I can't be wrong with this one. But how? That's impossible. He was-he was dead. I couldn't get myself to process who is in front of me. I was five steps behind of myself, just confused and lost when he eventually softened. He took a step forward, his dark eyes as I used to remember gazing at me.

It felt wrong. All of it.

"N-Natsu?" I avoided saying or even thinking about his name ever since that incident and now here he is, just as alive as he left me.

"Lucy I-" He steps closer.

"Y-you're... You're alive?! But that's not possible..." I was saying it to myself more than anything else. It's not difficult to believe that he could be dead at that time, a whole eternal year. I was losing faith then as well. But now... Now...

"I'm back Luce... I didn't break my promise" He smiles. The same one he only gives me. He was crying too, tears wetting his similar dark shirt as he steps forward again.

"N-no... No! It can't be! Ga-ga-he said... He told me you were dead!" I motioned towards Gajeel who was clueless on what was happening.

"He's wrong. They all are. I'm not. I'm still here" Another step.

"Lucy I missed you so much"

"Don't" I hadn't realized I was stepping backwards until I felt the door behind me. I fiddled for the handle, terrified that he's literally five feet away.

"Don't come near me!" I yelled with so much anger. So much suppressed emotions, breathing just became a difficult task to do.

"Lucy please..." His voice was breaking. Begging.

I was just tired. I can't possibly be-still in love with him. I stopped entertaining the idea. I stopped what was left of me from loving him. This is all too much for me. What's worst is I felt myself breaking seeing him like this. This is not fair at all. He has no idea what he has put me through. He has no goddamn idea.

"No! Don't you dare!" I finally felt the knob and slipped outside. Running to the direction of my car as fast as I could. Accelerating my car as far away from here as possible.

It's too late now. My mind has already permanently reeled the thought of Natu being back. The thought of him I always spared. I felt sick when I hear his words in his voice as he cried and begged. For me. My chest constricted of oxygen, I couldn't breathe. It was physically impossible. Breathing hurts.

Right now, it was as if I was seeing the world in bright colors. Everything seemed so bright and alive. The music from the radio is different too. It sounded muffled, it was like I was underwater. I couldn't make sense of what was happening, my heart is already beating so fast. My hand jolted to a clammy mess when I dialed Mirajane's number.

Punctual as always, she picked up on the third ring. "Lucy? What' wrong?" She sounded worried like she knew what already happened.

I blinked hard and felt tears pool on my face. "I-I got to Levy's and dropped some-some stuff... Then I-I saw him and I couldn't-shouldn't. I don't know what's happening, Mirajane! I don't know!" I didn't know if those were the words I said. It came out as a mess and she had a hard time responding to what I said. All I'm certain about is I'm shaking violently and I couldn't stop crying.

"Alright Lucy, I want you to go straight to your house. Let's talk there. I'm gonna call Levy and we'll meet you there. Does that sound okay?" She says in a soothing voice. Somehow, it helps. I nodded my head profusely, knowing that she couldn't see it.

"Okay... Okay" I sniffed.

"Okay good. Drive safely, okay?"

"Okay" Then she hangs up.

I wiped my face with the back of my hand with only Lucy in my mind. She was in front of me, I was so close to her. But the look on her face. She's terrified and angry at me, she doesn't want to be with me. I felt sick, knowing I did this to her. All I can see is her big brown eyes glaring and crying at the same time.

My chest hurts just thinking about it. But I could be wrong. Maybe she's still on the same ground as I am. Maybe, just maybe-she still loves me. I have to make sure.

"I have to talk to her" But before I could bolt out the door, a hand stopped me.

Gajeel clasped on my shoulder hard. "Let go of me" I growled.

"No. You weren't here to see but bunny girl has been through a lot... She's overwhelmed when she saw you"

He might be right but at the same time, I couldn't afford to let her go again. No, not this time. I removed his hand on my shoulder without a word, pacing my way to the door.

"Natsu just give her some time. She believed you were dead... That's clearly something she's still thinking about"

"And what time, huh?! I waited two fucking years! No one was there when I almost died and yet she was always on my mind!"

They didn't know. They didn't know about how I fell through the ocean when a car pushed me off the bridge. They didn't know about the gun directly on my head while I was lying in bed. They didn't know about the every goddamn single day of hope to see the day where Lucy's with me. I might be being selfish but it's because I suffered too. I didn't fake my death for nothing, I didn't travel an entire fucking ocean away from her for fun. It's to redeem myself for them. They didn't know about the deal. They have no idea.

I could have said those words to him but, "Don't tell me bullshit that you've been through some shit. I get it. But bunny girl is different. She isn't like you" Gajeel says coldly.

"Think about it. She thought you were gone... Give her time"

I told them everything as calm as I could. I started crying again when I remembered how he was reaching out for me. It played in my mind like a broken record, it's not fair. I placed my hands on my face and stayed like that. Both Mirajane and Levy seemed surprise as I was, they were speechless. Who wouldn't? At this point who would believe that someone could come back from the dead?

"But that's not... He couldn't be, right?" It was Levy. When looked at her, eyes wide and lips quivering, she's having a difficult time understanding my situation. I don't blame her though, it would be easier to be believe I was hallucinating and going crazy.

Mirajane sinks to the stool beside me with a heavy sigh. "This is why I didn't want you to go anywhere near your house... This is exactly what I didn't want to happen"

I looked up at her curiously, putting together what she just said. She was acting weird before, it doesn't take rocket science to figure out that it has something to do with him. But I asked her anyway. "What do you mean?"

She sighs again, rubbing her temples soothingly. "I saw him at your house when you asked me to return the key"

"W-what? What was he doing there?" My heart started beating fast and loud.

"Obviously looking for you"

I couldn't stop crying, there's no point forcing myself to stop when that's all I know what to do right now. "Okay. Lucy, just... Just stay away from him, he still doesn't know where you live now. Don't go there anymore, got it?" I nodded my head, I wasn't planning on running into him anyway.

Then she turns towards Levy. "Levy don't ask her to go there anymore. Just... I'll talk to Erza about it"

Gajeel forgot one thing.

I'm a stubborn bastard.

Despite being away for two years, I learned and got a few things from the mission like the complicated tracking device from one of Zeref's men. It was pointless to understand at first, but right now it seemed like the best solution I could think of.

I'm not going to disobey Gajeel. Sort of. But I just want to see Lucy, even if she couldn't and shouldn't see me. I just have to.

I went back to the house, locked the door to my room and got the device from my bag. It has a different mechanism than common devices, it's probably the only thing existing in the world right now. The tracker is smaller than a fingernail and is built in a transparent material. It works like the rest of the trackers. You press it once and put it in place. That's the thing, I have no idea who to subject it to.

Then there's the mapping. A huge space station looking radar meant to read the signal of the tracker but it works very differently. I don't even know how to turn it on. I'm running out of what little patience I have. I press every button I could possibly press but nothing's changing. Maybe it doesn't work anymore.

I slightly jumped as someone knocked. "Natsu? You there?" It's obviously Zeref.

I hurriedly threw the door open and pulled him by the collar before locking it again. Who can better operate the thing than the guy who owns it?

"How do you make this thing work?"

He cluelessly gazed on the bed with wide eyes. "Stephen's tracking device... You have it"

"Yeah. Umm how?"

He didn't answer, better he maneuvered the thing in a very convoluted process. I couldn't understand even if I replayed it by a thousand. He doesn't look fazed by any of it, I'm not sure if I should be proud or terrified of his brilliance. Soon enough, the entire thing made a sound which only means that it could be operated.

"What do you need this for anyway?"

"Just... I just really do. Thank you Zeref but I really need to go and put this tracker on someone" I stormed away before he could question me.

Now where the heck is Gajeel?

Four days passed since I saw Natsu and everything just seemed so surprisingly normal. I went to my classes without trouble, watched television alone in my house and went to other places. I even forgot the fact that he's alive.

But the worst is when I don't. When I remember, it feels like I want to cry and never stop. It happens when I see something that lets me remember him or just when I'm alone with my thoughts, not distracted with anything. So for the time being, before Mirajane or Levy could visit me, I already started with my deadlines needed for my classes.

That was three hours ago. My eyes weren't as red and swollen once Levy arrived with chinese takeout. She placed the boxes on the coffee table as she immediately settled with me on the couch, watching a recap of a new series we're currently obsessing about.

"Gajeel wanted to say sorry" She starts.

"What? Why?" What he did happened a long time ago. I mean, it was horrible but I learned to let it go and be happy for Levy. He's not so bad as what he has claimed himself to be when he answered the door that day. So it's really weird that he's apologizing now.

"He brought Natsu with him because he was secretly bringing me a present for our anniversary... Aww he's so sweet of him, right?" She gushed and even if I'm not looking at her, I can tell that she's blushing hard. I can't get mad at Gajeel for that. Instead I just smiled.

"It's fine. I'm not mad at him. Just please don't speak as we're trying to watch the show" She elbowed me lightly before we entirely focused on the television.

Like every tv show, it's a fifty minute long episode which is enough for Levy and I to call it a night as she kisses my cheek and drives off. Right now, I'm left alone again and it's very quiet. The only thing I could hear is the sound of the ticking clock, even that can't stop me from thinking of him.

"I hate you so much..." I gritted before throwing the empty boxes into a bin and going over to my room.

It's already 10 p.m. which only means that I should be in bed right now. So I went to my wardrobe for a change of fresh clothes when something fell from the top shelf. I was afraid to pick it up when I recognized what it was.

It's Natsu's muffler. I could see the violently torn fabric from where I'm standing and I can't help myself from shaking as I picked it up. As I examined it, I saw how much the grided lines had faded. It made me sick through my stomach and it's not even the chinese food. All resistance and hope of acting like it never happened gone. It stopped. The thought of Natsu still made my heart beat in an uncontrollable rate. Without even doing anything, he still makes me feel this way. And I hate myself for that.

I threw the thing as far away from me as possible. Yelling. Thrashing. Crying my heart out until I can't take anymore. Until I'm just left of silent sobs. Until I was tired from everything that has happened and more.

Then I just grew numb of the feeling. I stared blankly at the ceiling but I can still feel the tears falling. I didn't restrain myself from thinking of Natsu anymore. At this point, I just didn't care.

Natsu's so different now but not in a bad way. I think. He obviously changed in two years. I don't remember him having long hair but now his hair framed his jawline like a lion's mane. It's not so bad. In fact, it suits him. Even his uniform changed, he no longer wore the military attire I used to complain about whenever he climbed on my balcony. Now, he wears an all black attire that seemed to fit his really built body. He even has a torn cloak for some reason. But his eyes. His eyes weren't so different. Now I could see the longing and the passion that I never noticed before.

I badly want these thoughts to get away. But as much as I try to push him away, the more he invades my mind.

"I really hate you so much" I knew that was a lie.