You're Warm
Chapter 34: Reality

She felt completely in sync with her beast for the first time. Their hearts beating in sync, she could feel their minds merging together as she slowly lifted her hand to reach out to the dragon in front of her.

His eyes... They held so many emotions. Like an open book that she would always spend majority of her time reading, she felt his eyes held every piece of information she needed. Something that she never knew about her beloved beast that happened to steal her heart within seconds of eye contact.

She gasped when he lowered his head, allowing her to touch his cheek to which she tensed. The beast in front of her wanted her too, its eyes held love, happiness, but most of all regret and pain. It knew that its master was being stubborn, but it wasn't going to let his actions completely lose her love for them both.

"You're so beautiful..." Lucy whispered as she felt their connection. Their eyes staring into one another, she felt her tears filling up her eyes.

It pained her to know that Natsu didn't want her. It killed her beast to know that he didn't want her as well.

He didn't want a murderer. He wouldn't want a damaged thing where he had a beautiful girl standing behind him.

"I'm glad that we're able to meet you finally," she whispered once more as she let the tears fall. Her ears and mind ignoring the low whimpers from the dragon, she rubbed his sharp cheek with her thumb lovingly. She was honestly thankful that she was able to meet the beast that was supposed to fated with her own.

Natsu's beast was a majestic creature. His beast emitted a powerful aura, and her beast felt protected to have it so near to her presence.

Slowly blinking her eyes where her tears touched the ground, the remnants of the crystal shattered where she fell. Her tears creating a large puddle with her in the middle, she lifted her head and sadly smiled to the dragon staring at her with pained eyes. Looking away, she removed her hand from his cheek where Belladonna vanished.

"I guess this is goodbye," she said to herself, not knowing that Natsu was looking at her.

The boy wanted nothing but to embrace her, but he couldn't. Hearing a snicker behind him, he turned to only find Lisanna snickering to Lucy's despair. Her arms wrapping around his body, she coiled herself like a snake holding its prey.
Her lips near his cheek, she was about to kiss him where suddenly Lucy snapped her head up with a threatening glare where Belladonna emerged from her body once again, but this time in her human form.

"You will not touch him when I'm still around!" she bellowed, coming towards the woman with a dagger made out roots in her hand.

Swiping the air, she gritted her teeth when Lisanna pulled back and grinned. "He's not yours. He rejected you," she spat, watching Belladonna widen her eyes in anger to which she lunged forward.

"His dragon wants me! He wants me! You cannot take him away from when I'm still here!" she yelled, jumping towards the white-haired female where her beast came in between, flicking her back into a boulder. Growling, she was about to run towards Lisanna and her beast until suddenly, she felt her connection with Lucy hold her back.

Belladonna's head snapping to look at Lucy, she tensed when she saw how hard Lucy was trying to hold her back with tears in her eyes. "Please stop... It won't change his mind if we were to hurt her..." she pleaded, making Belladonna drop her arm to look at her master in disbelief.

It pained them both to know the truth.

"Lucy... I..." Natsu stopped himself, but his heart was throbbing in pain as he watched the puddle around Lucy grow bigger which began to flow through the cracks.

Did he really want this? His eyes looking at the large dragon that apparently belonged to him, he could see how much it killed his dragon to watch her tears fall.

If he really did leave her to protect her, would Lisanna really back away from her? Would she really be safe?

She could never be his. Once he leaves her, he will never have her in his arms again like in the past. The past that he cherished so much - Those loving and happy memories of them spending their time together with the others.

She will never smile to him ever again...

"Are you really going to give up on him? Find another man that will love us unconditionally?" Belladonna whispered, slowly walking back to Lucy where she dropped her dagger. Dropping to her knees in front of her master, she placed both hands on Lucy's shoulders and gently shook her as if pleading.

"Another man will never love us like our mate... Can we smile like we have when we're with our mate?" she questioned, asking her questions like a child learning that she was the cause of her parent's death without knowing anything.

He gritted his teeth, and his dragon grumbled. Indeed they didn't like to hear such things. Could he really give her up?

Lucy slowly standing up, she looked at him with tears. Walking over to him, she pulled him into a hug where she struggled to let go of him when she felt him return the embrace. Snuggling into his neck, she sniffled before forcing herself to pull away where she felt him refuse to let her go.

"We... We should go," she quietly said where she felt him shake his head.

"If I let you go, then you'll vanish from me again," he said to her ear. Listening to her sigh, they pulled away a bit where they were staring into each others pain-stricken eyes.

"It has to be... I don't think I'll ever have the heart to face you again. This will be our goodbye," she replied.

Him not liking that he may never see her again, he glanced at his dragon. He knew what his dragon was trying to tell him. If they were to completely reject her, they'll never see her again, and if they were suddenly to meet each other again, then she'll be smiling to another man while holding their hand - They would ignore him since their connection with each other would be gone.

He wanted to follow his heart, but he couldn't. Not when she's in danger.

"I-I love you..."

Widening his eyes, he pulled away even further to see her tears now falling again. His head throbbing. His heart aching. His soul yearning to wipe away those tears. He clenched his teeth and pulled her to his chest where he squeezed his eyes shut.

He could hear Lisanna breathing heavily. She wasn't liking what she was seeing, but he didn't have the heart to reject the bond that he has with the girl within his arms.

Leaning forward where his lips touched the crown of his beautiful girl's head, he lifted his lips and smiled to her when she looked up to him in confusion. "I can never win against you," he confessed.

Those three words that she confessed to him made his heart swell up in pride. The girl that he purposely bullied still loved him to this day. That truly did mean that they were meant to be.

If Lisanna really intended to harm her, then he should be by Lucy's side to protect her. It was normal for them to sleep together in the past - He could stay over any time to protect her, and like Sakura said, she was strong enough to protect herself.

Lucy was indeed the person he needed to be with to live his life to the fullest. When she's around, everything that bothered him in his mind always vanished, leaving him in peace.

"I don't want to hurt you anymore," he whispered, lowering his lips to met hers where he ignored Lisanna's scream in anger.

Pulling away where he looked up to Sakura that was weakly smiling down to him, he nodded his head where she returned the gesture. Listening to her command Knight to open up a portal, he looked at the open portal and quickly pulled Lucy with him as they approached it.

His mind knowing that Sakura would deal with Lisanna, he entered the portal hand in hand with Lucy's where he pulled her close. "I won't lie to myself anymore... I can't stand it when I see that you're crying over someone like me..." he confessed, ignoring Lisanna calling out his name to which Sakura's voice boomed.

He knew that Sakura's short rest was enough to push her dominance over Lisanna. He knew that Lisanna would be given another chance to redeem her life by the crimson.
He knew that Sakura would command Lisanna and her beast to stay away from them. If Lisanna dares to disobey Sakura's command, then he'll do everything he can to protect the girl that was staring to the side of his face in utter confusion.

"You're not going to leave me?" she asked in a hushed voice, too afraid to confirm it with him as she walked closely.

Enjoying his body warmth wrap itself around her, she lowered her gaze to the ground as he added pressure to her hand. "I can't push you away... I wanted to protect you from getting hurt, but I don't want to see you with someone else other than me..." he said.

"Everyone called me stupid. Hey Luce... Am I really stupid?" he then asked where she widened her eyes.

Looking up to him with her honey-brown eyes, she softly smiled and chuckled. "I think so. I mean, you made me suffer a lot since you wouldn't even tell me the reason why you treated me so horribly..." she answered.

Her eyes looking to the bright light in front of them, she bit the bottom of her lips. "Can you really explain to me why later?" she questioned.

Natsu hummed. "I'm sorry... I'll tell you everything when we get home."