"While I cannot think of any mortal who deserves their rest more than you, it is time to wake up Descendant. Your long rest is finally at an end." A voice that Lucy vaguely recognized called out, drawing the blonde from her dreamless sleep. Slowly blinking away her sleep, Lucy rose to a seated position as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. Gone was the smell of the ocean and the dirt and trees that had surrounded her moments ago. Gone was the dragon who had been threatening Fairy Tail only moments ago.
Instead she found herself surrounded by massive towers of a golden city, a blue sky, a massive ornate gate, and just off to the side of the slab of stone she found herself resting on was a hole in creation that was waving at her.
"Welcome back to the land in between the mortal and all others, Descendant of Solomon. Did you have a nice nap?" The hole asked, a hole that now had silver hair and red eyes.
"…You are…the Guardian? H-how…am…I…" Lucy started to ask before trailing off, her eyes going wide as she realized that she remembered this hole in reality. Which while normally wasn't cause for concern, but considering that she had only met the Guardian after she had joined Fairy Tail, something she hadn't been able to recall before now.
"I…I remember." Lucy breathlessly muttered as she desperately tried to recall everything that she could, and found that she could remember it all. She remembered the incident at Hargeon, the day Natsu brought her to her new home. She remembered the horror of the Master of Phantom Lord, Jose, kidnapping her from Magnolia and the resulting battle that occurred when her friends fought to get her back. She didn't remember much of the battle against the Oración Seis, but that was more due to the fact that she had been possessed for the majority of that battle, but she did recall what happened right before and after said battle.
She remembered everything, and the wave of emotion that was brought forward from said memories threatened to overwhelm her now that she had unsealed her dragon magic.
Lucy tried to ask why this had happened, to ask how she was here in this necropolis, but all that she managed to get out was a few chocked sobs as she pressed her hand against her mouth and cried uncontrollably. She was whole again.
The Guardian said nothing as Lucy had her emotional breakdown, simply stared at her with sad, understanding eyes, eyes it had somehow acquired since the last time the dragon slayer had seen the human shaped hole in reality.
Lucy wasn't sure just how long she kneeled there crying but eventually her tears slowly dried up and her breathing slowed and calm returned. She stood and once again returned her attention to the Guardian, just then noticing that the hole now had a full head of white hair in a similar style of Lucy's own, a sight that the blonde wasn't ashamed to admit was somewhat unnerving considering the rest of its features was still missing beyond the eyes…crimson eyes…It-it can't be! Lucy denied in shock as she recalled a certain fact that the other had told her about her most recent bout of possession; that her eyes had glowed crimson the entire time.
But for the moment she would put aside that question, as the restoration of her memories took priority. "Hello Guardian, were you the one who restored my memories of Fairy Tail?" Lucy questioned, the hole nodding the area that would be considered a human head.
"I did. Since your body has been sealed for so many years it was a perfect time to summon your soul back to the gate and put you back together. With how events are moving, I could not afford to leave you a lesser being than what you should be."
"…I don't quite get it, but thank you, thank you so much." Lucy replied, her voice filled with an emotion that she couldn't quite identify, but one that seemed to fill her chest with warmth. "And while I am thankful…I have to ask, since you have red eyes now…are you-?"
"No, I am not the one who has possessed you time and time again. I am simply the Guardian, the one who will watch over this place until you have made your choice." The Guardian denied before Lucy could even finish her sentence.
"Choice? What choice? When have I ever gotten a choice in my life?! I've never had anything close to having an option in what I am!" Lucy growled out before blinking in shock. The elemental summoner not fully understanding where that anger had come from.
Not that her anger had any real meaning, as the Guardian didn't seem the least bit perturbed by her outburst. "Hmm, good. I was afraid that your time in stasis would have affected your unsealed emotions, but it looks like my fears were unwarranted…and nor is your anger. Much of what you have been through was decided by beings far beyond you're understand, long before you were born. Even the bonds you have formed were not truly your own doing." The Guardian admitted, Lucy's shock only growing at that admission.
"Wh-what do you mean? Are you talking about Fairy Tail?" She questioned, the Guardian once again nodding in confirmation.
"As Solomon's descendant, it is only natural that the seventy-two knights who once s would be drawn to your side. Or more accurately, those who inherited the wills of the seventy-two would be drawn to your side. Admittedly, I never expected that so many who inherited their wills wound up in a single place…though considering that the founder was one who attempted to walk Solomon's path, I suppose it shouldn't come as too much of a shock." The Guardian thought out loud, Lucy quickly loosing track of just what they were talking about, something perfectly encapsulated by her next word.
"…Eh?"
"Ah, I apologize Lucy, I do not mean to confuse you. One day we will have a chance to fully speak on these subjects-." The Guardian began before both a deep rumbling sound echoed through the dead city, both figures looking up to see a golden Fairy Tail symbol in the sky. "But it appears our time is short. The projection has begun to remove her seal, your soul will be called back to your home plane in a few moments. But before you go, I must warn you-." The Guardian then turned back to stare at Lucy, her crimson orbs filled with a solemnness that the dragon slayer couldn't ignore. "Someone within the royal family of Fiore has forgotten their duties. They gather Ethernano for the gate without understanding what lies beyond. And should no one force them from their self-destructive path…well then, the time of your choice will come all the sooner." The Guardian cryptically declared, Lucy's stomach falling as her body began to disintegrate into particles of light.
"Wait! What are you talking about! What is going on?! Who really was Solomon? Please, just tell me something, anything!" Lucy shouted out desperately, the Guardian simply shaking their head in response.
"Sorry Lucy, but it isn't my place to answer such questions. I am the Guardian, nothing more, nothing less." The being said before waving goodbye, Lucy's vision beginning to fade into the light. "Until next time, child of my creator."
.
.
.
"…Lu-…-an…me?" A voice called out, the blonde mage groaning as she tried to rise, only to find that she wasn't able to move her legs since they were buried in the ground. Slowly opening her eyes, Lucy could make out the blurry image of a woman with long green hair staring down at her with concern and a younger girl with long blonde hair behind her. A woman who looked vaguely familiar.
"B-Bisca? What are you doing here?" Lucy couldn't help but ask, confused as to how the gunslinger was on Tenrou, but such thoughts were quickly forced in to the back of her mind as she remembered just what had been happening moments ago. "We have to take cover! Acnologia won't stop until we're all dead! We have to run now!" She yelled as she tried to extract her legs from the ground. But she was stopped when the girl behind a now shocked looking Bisca finally spoke up.
"You do not need to worry about Acnologia Lucy, he has long since left." The girl declared; her voice strangely comforting despite the fact that as far as Lucy's newly restored memories could recall they had never met.
"Oh thank goodness Lucy…you're ok!" Bisca cried out as she leaned forward to trap the blonde in a bone crushing hug, her cries drawing in an older looking Alzack and Max, both of who joined in on the hug after a moment of staring at her in shock. And while Lucy was perfectly fine with being hugged, the dragon slayer connecting the dots between what the Guardian had been saying everyone's new looks and that they had indeed been trapped for years on the island, but eventually she had to bring up an important issue that the others seemed to be ignoring for the moment. "Umm, I don't mean to ruin the moment. But can someone pull me out of the ground?"
It didn't take the other mages long to pull her out of the ground, the blonde coming free from her earthy prison with ease as the three mages pulled on her arms while the other blonde watched them all with a curious gaze. And after mentioning that they had found the others and that they had gathered the mages of Fairy Tail started to make their way in the direction of the coast. But before they arrived Lucy couldn't help but turn to the other blonde in their group, a question that had been bothering her since she had woken up at the forefront of her mind.
"Umm, sorry to ask, but…who are you? Are you new to Fairy Tail?" Lucy couldn't help but ask, as even with her memories restored, she was pretty sure she had never seen the younger blonde before.
The younger girl almost seemed startled by the question at first, her green eyes widening a fraction of an inch, before she began to giggle. "No, I am not new, quite the opposite in fact. I am Mavis Vermillion; one of the founders of Fairy Tail and its first Master. A pleasure to meet you, Lucy of Fairy Tail." The girl introduced herself, the other members of the guild looking particularly nervous at her explanation.
A nervousness that Lucy complete failed to pick up on, the dragon slayer making an appreciative humming noise as she nodded. "I see, it makes sense that the founder of a guild filled with so many powerful mages would herself be an immortal." She commented, Bisca laughing lightly at her words.
"Leave it to Lucy to be completely undisturbed by the presence of our guilds founder." The gun mage laughed, the others nodding in agreement while Mavis giving Lucy a strained smile.
"While I can understand why you would think such a thing, but I am merely a thought projection manifested from the bonds between you and the others and the and the magic that gathered. It was the faith that you all had in each other that saved you." The first master explained as they made their way in to a clearing, the sight that greeted them one that instantly drew a relived sigh from the elemental summoner.
"Oh, thank the gods." She sighed in relief as Natsu and Tiria rushed up to her, the two mages breaking away from the rest of their group.
"Luce! You're ok! when Droy and Jet found me and Happy without you I-Gah!" Natsu started to say before being elbowed out of the way by the water dragon slayer, who Lucy could have sworn sent a condescending smirk at Natsu for just a second before looking back at Lucy, a look the blonde was sure she must have imagined.
"Oh, thank goodness! Wh-when you weren't here when I woke up, I was so afraid that they wouldn't be able to find you." Tiria admitted, Lucy smiling and patting the girl on the head.
"Sorry to worry you. The others had to dig me out a bit." The elemental summoner answered, Natsu growling at the younger girl for a moment before the blonde looked at him curiously, the fire dragon slayer snorting and turning away instead of explaining as to why he was so annoyed.
"Well then, now that everyone has gathered, I shall explain just what happened that day. And the seven years that you have all been trapped upon this island." Mavis called out from her spot on an outcropping above their group, drawing a number of confused and startled gazes to the spirit.
The trip back was almost completely silent, and for once it was not due to the fact that a good number of their number were incapacitated due to motion sickness. The First Master had revealed that in order to save their lives, she had cast a powerful stasis spell upon the entire island, a spell known as Fairy Sphere. And while the spell was more than powerful enough to block Acnologia's breath, the spell was so powerful that they were quite literally removed from the world for years while the magic of the spell faded, seven years to be precise.
They had been, by all intensive purpose's dead for seven years, and the world had most certainly moved on without them.
Lucy for her part couldn't help but feel a cold pit in her stomach that had nothing to do with her nausea at the thought of what had happened to the others from the institute. Did the Magic Council ever remove Jude's influence from their minds? Were they still imprisoned? Did they even know what had befallen Lucy and Tiria?
Fortunately, she wasn't lost in her worried thoughts for too long, as Wendy approached looking quite sympathetic. "Lucy? Are you feeling ok?" the bluenette asked, receiving a mumbled gurgle in response. "Ummm…I know this probably isn't the best time to be speaking about this but…what happened to your tail?" The younger dragon slayer asked, Lucy only just then realizing that the weight that she had already grown accustomed too on her back were missing.
"…Eh? What happened to them?" Lucy couldn't help but wonder out loud as she looked over her shoulder to see no sign of her wings or tail, only the holes they had ripped in her clothing. Had her draconic features vanished in the seven years they had been sealed?
"Oh, you've still got your horns!" Wendy noticed as she pointed at Lucy's scalp, the blonde reaching up to feel that yes indeed, she did still have her horns. Though from the feel of them they had shrunken down to the point where they just barely emerged from the sides of her head, something she could easily hide with a change in hairstyle. Her previously deadly sharp claws were now just sharp looking black fingernails. Her mouth which had been filled with razor sharp teeth just hours ago for her had mostly returned to normal, though like the rest of her dragon slayer brothers and sisters her canines remained sharp.
"Hmmm, it looks like so long as I'm not actually using my dragon slayer powers my draconic features recede." Lucy concluded as she poked at one of her horns, a shudder passing through her at the strange sensation it produced, the blonde staring quizzically at Mira when she heard the demonic mage sigh in relief.
"Oh, thank goodness I don't have to get a custom wedding dress for her." Lucy heard her mutter, an unnaturally cold chill passing across her back as she did. Though she didn't have long to think about it, as it was at that moment that a particularly large wave struck the ship, forcing the blonde to focus more on keeping her stomach settled than on whatever Mira was talking about.
Thankfully it didn't take long for their group to return back to the port at Hargeon, as the boat the others had used to retrieve them had been loaned to them from said port and belonged to the Blue Pegasus guild, Jet and Droy almost bragging about how the other guild had loaned them the ship and that they couldn't afford to damage it in any way, a fact that Lucy wasn't sure was worthy of being bragged about but she just assumed it was yet another thing she didn't understand. The Master had asked why they didn't just use the guild's ship as they should have had plenty of money to replace the one lost seven years ago. However, every single one of the mages who had come for them suddenly grew silent and turned away and tried desperately to change the subject, their lack of subtlety so obvious that even Lucy managed to pick up on it. It seemed that since the "death" of those on Tenrou the Fairy Tail guild had fallen in to financial destitution…which is probably why their group wasn't taking the train back to Magnolia, not that Lucy was complaining. With her dragon magic unsealed she was just as susceptible to transportation as Natsu was, so she was in no rush to get on one of those torturous machines.
The group eventually reached a good place to rest for the night, a forest that Lucy vaguely recalled sleeping in when Natsu had invited her to the guild, a night that felt like it had happened a lifetime ago. After making camp Max pulled quite a few bottles of liquor from his bag a proposed a party, but the Master was quick to shoot down such a plan, much to the shock of everyone present. A Fairy Tail member, and the Master to boot, denying a chance to party? But when the Wizard Saint declared that any party must wait until they reunited with those still at the guild the thought of any celebration quickly faded…though that didn't stop Gajeel, Gildarts, and some of the others from drinking everything the sand mage had. So instead of celebrating, the members of the rescue party asked just what had happened to them, as the only thing they had heard from the recovery team sent by the Magic Council was that the island had been destroyed by a blast of Ethernano that easily eclipsed that of the Etherion.
And so, the Master explained just what they had gone through in order to return alive. The older mage speaking first of the events of the S-class trial, the invasion of Grimoire Heart, the presence of Zeref on their holy land, and finally the attack of Acnologia and their attempt to defend themselves.
"A-A dragon?! And the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse to boot?! Man, no wonder we couldn't find any trace of the island…" Warren muttered, the group left behind for the seven years all looking pretty downcast at the knowledge that the strongest members of the guild had been so utterly helpless before the might of the black dragon.
"Ya…that bastard really did a number on us. But considering how you guys hadn't heard it was him I'm guessing it decided to go back to whatever pit it hides in most of the time." Gildarts nodded before turning his attention to Lucy. "Though speaking of that ornery lizard…Lucy, what do you know about Acnologia?" The strongest mage in the guild asked, Lucy's eyes narrowing at the mention of the chaos dragon as the others turned their attention to her. "It called you the "spawn of Tiamat" and it didn't even say a single thing when I fought against it so do you have some sort of conecti-."
"I don't." Lucy growled out as she tensed, the others blinking in shock at the sheer vitriol in her voice, something that was so far removed from the somewhat spacey, socially clueless blonde they all knew that no one could respond before she continued. "I don't know how it knew Tiamat, or why it knew that I was trained by her, but I will find out the next time I see that dragon. Even if I have to tear it apart to get my answer." The dragon slayer proclaimed, completely unaware that her anger was causing her more draconic features to appear, her eyes becoming more lizard like as her fingers began to change back in to claws.
However, before her magic could fully activate, Natsu put a hand on her shoulder, startling the blonde for a moment before she looked over at him only to find a cocky smile on his face while her gathered magic began to dissipate. "Hell ya Luce, and we'll be with ya every step of the way! Right everyone?" The fire dragon slayer challenged, a chorus of agreements sounding off from around their campsite. Gildarts hesitated for a moment, seemingly uneasy with the connection between the slayer and the dragon, but he eventually decided to just drop it and agree with everyone else. after all, the blonde had helped introduce him to his daughter so she couldn't too awful of a person.
Their group quickly took to the road the next day, every one of them eager to get back to their home and finally put the events of Tenrou behind them. And by midday they were finally nearing the home stretch, as they exited a particularly dense cluster of trees the group couldn't help but release their collective breathes at the sight of Magnolia, the city still looking remarkably the same despite the fact that for most of the Fairy Tail mages it had been seven long years since they had seen it.
But instead of making their way into the city as they would normally do to get to the guild hall, the members not present on Tenrou during the battle instead turned to the north and began to make their way away from the city much to the confusion of the Master and the others.
"Hm? Is there something wrong children? Why are you not going to accompany us to the guild hall?" The Master asked, the mages looking distinctly uncomfortable for a moment before Alzack stepped forward to answer.
"Master…after you all disappeared the guild lost nearly all of the job offers, we used to receive, not to mention that many of our members left in order to peruse new work…. we couldn't…" The gun mage started to explain before his wife stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"The city of Magnolia had to repossess the guild hall in order to cover our expenses and we have had to borrow Jewels from other guilds just to get by. We are sorry Master; we couldn't protect our home…we failed you." The green haired woman apologized as she bowed her head the other members also finding that they could no longer meet the older mages gaze.
However, much to the surprise of those left behind, the old man simply scoffed at waved a hand as if to dismiss their apology. "Nonsense. You are all still here are you not? You have all held dearly to the bonds you forged in our time together correct? You all still pursue your own paths as wizards, is this not true? Then you have not failed me in the slightest. Our guild hall could be nothing more than a collection of boxes for all I care, as the bonds you children have formed could not be broken by something as petty as not having a fancy guild hall." The wizard saint refuted, the relief Bisca's and the other's faces clear for them all to see. "Now then, why don't you all show us to our new guild hall? After all, we still need to have our homecoming party do we not?" The old man asked with a smile, a cheer going out through the crowd of mages, drawing the attention of the few civilians nearby, before they all proceeded to make their way to the north of Magnolia.
Thankfully it did not take them long to reach the site of their new home nestled in the forest, the entire group slowing to a halt at what could only be described as a mixture between a farmhouse, a windmill, and a wizarding guild hall all meshed together. On one side of the building stood a seemingly random assortment of vegetables, the remaining guild members apparently having decided to grow their own food in light of their financial troubles, while on the other was the training dummies and practice field one would expect of a place where people trained in magic.
But despite how random it all looked, not one member of the Tenrou team could deny the warmth they felt when they laid eyes on the Fairy Tail flag hanging proudly over the front door of the guild hall, the symbol of their family still there after all these years.
But that warmth was quickly replaced with confusion when the group noticed a group of men standing just inside the doors of their new home and their confusion quickly turned to wariness when they noticed Max and the others tense at the sight of them.
"Oh, come on, of all the days to be here it just had to be today!" Warren complained out loud.
Lucy hear the Master ask just what was happening, but her attention quickly returned to the inside of the guild hall when she hear a voice she both recognized and did not, a voice that while having changed over the last seven years was still the voice of the boy whom she, Natsu, and Happy had helped on her first day in this guild.
"…'Cause at this rate, Fairy Tail's name will be disgraced!" The boy yelled out from within the depths of the guild, the anger in his voice unmistakable.
Lucy didn't even need to look over at Natsu to know what he was thinking, the two of them taking off towards the guild hall within a heartbeat, the others quickly following after them as the lead man drew a mace from his back.
"That names' been dragged through the mud even without our help. Just give it up brat, you idiots will never make it back up to our level as long as you live!" The fool declared as he started to bring the weapon down…only to get kicked across the guild hall by a furious Natsu. The other men turned, seemingly ready to fight, but they stood no chance against them, Lucy in particularly landing a particularly nasty kick on one man's nether regions before throwing him out of the guild.
"…Heya guys! We're back!" Natsu announced with a smile, his words causing the few members left of their family to freeze up in shock.
"N-no way…" Macao stuttered, as the cigar fell from Wakaba's lips, the smoke mage not even managing to make that much of a sentence through his stuttering.
However, their shock quickly faded and was replaced with relief, nearly every single one beginning to cry tears of joy as they rushed forward and started bombarding them with questions, questions that Makarov was quick to answer. And it was during their Master's explanation that Lucy noticed what looked like a small black haired Natsu approaching, one who's look of disbelief and shock was almost too painful to see. Romeo tried to say something, anything, but it seemed like his mouth had yet to catch up to his brain.
But Natsu being Natsu was quick to ignore the awkwardness in the air, the fire dragon slayer grinning down at the boy. "Hey Romeo, you've gotten pretty big haven't ya?" he asked, Lucy peering around him and waving.
"Hello Romeo, that was pretty impressive what you were about to do earlier. Sorry that we had to steal your thunder like that." Lucy apologized, the dark-haired fire mage looking between them both for a moment before tears began to fall freely from his eyes.
"N…Nah, its ok…j-just…welcome back Natsu, Lucy, everyone." The boy welcomed with a smile before rushing forward and hugging Natsu around the waist, the young boy beginning to wail.
"Aw come on now Romeo, now's not the time for cryin' it's time for partying!" Natsu yelled as he pulled the boy off and proceeded to drag him deeper in to the guild. "Now where do you guys keep all your food? I'm starvin'!"
The next few hours were mostly a blur for the chaos dragon slayer, a happy blur to be sure but a blur nonetheless. Guild members hounded her for answers about the new horn-like accessories on her head, asked her questions about how the S-class trials had gone, or just handed her enough food and drinks to feed a normal person for a week, which thanks to her newly unsealed magic was barely more than an afternoon snack to the blonde.
But Lucy's feast was interrupted when the doors to the guild hall were thrown open once again. The blonde tensed, half expecting yet another fight with the debtors that they had sent packing earlier, but much to her surprise there was instead five somewhat familiar faces.
"Welcome!" Kinana shouted from behind the bar, as the purple haired girl had taken over for Mirajane since the older woman had vanished.
"Well, well! It looks like Fairy Tail has finally been reunited! It is indeed a most glorious day!" A bald man that could only be Jura Neekis shouted out from the door, an almost content smile upon the Wizard Saint's lips.
"Let us congratulate you on your homecoming! And with Love of course, a red-haired woman who strongly resembled the Sherry in Lucy's memories called out next, and considering that she mentioned "Love" again it was more than likely not just a look-a-like.
"Hmph, I suppose this means that the Fairy Tail guild will return to being boisterous. Honestly, it was nice having some peace and quiet in Fiore for the past seven years."
"Lyon?! What are you doing here? And with the rest of Lamia Scale as well?" Gray shouted out in surprise; the ice make mage already missing his shirt.
"Of course, they'd come. Both Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus were part of the initial search party when we lost contact with you all and it was Blue Pegasus that alerted us to the rising Ethernano levels that signaled your return." Max explained as the Lamia Scale mages dispersed throughout the guild hall with Sherry approaching Lucy with a confident but pleased expression on her face.
"Well, well, if it isn't my old rival in love. Do not worry, I bear you no animosity now. After all, Lamia Scale has become the number two guild on the continent in your absence and it would be beneath me to pick on a member of such a weak guild." The girl greeted; her words somewhat insulting but the blonde could tell they did not actually hold any ill will.
"It's good to see you again Sherry." Lucy replied with a smile of her own, the puppet mage blinking in shock before smiling once again.
"Oh, you remembered my name this time! But I suppose that's to be expected of my old…love…umm, Lucy, why is the pink haired fool staring at you like that?" Sherry couldn't help but ask as she pointed over Lucy's shoulder, the dragon slayer looking over her shoulder to see Natsu and a good number of the Fairy Tail mages nearby looking at her with shocked expressions.
"Luce…you remember her? Does that mean that you remember everything?" Natsu breathlessly asked as he gestured to the Lamia Scale member, Lucy's cheeks turning pink as a realization dawned on her.
"O-oh…did I not mention that my memories returned after I woke up?" The elemental summoner bashfully asked, Erza sighing heavily as she shook her head in denial.
"No Lucy, you did not." The requip mage answered, Lucy scratching at her cheek in embarrassment.
"Ah…well my memories have returned." Lucy announced to the guild, Natsu still staring at her like she had grown a second head.
"But…you…eh…ah, who cares how it happened. Now we have another reason to celebrate!" Natsu decided as he handed Lucy a drink and turned back to the others, a drink of his own in his hand. "Three cheers for Lucy remembering us all!" The fire dragon shouted, a chorus of shouts answering his own.
"…I don't quite understand what's happening, but it appears that you have recovered from some sort of ailment Lucy?" Shelly asked, the blonde nodding as Natsu threw an arm around her shoulder. "Well that is good then, it would be a shame if you used such an excuse to not try and retake your guilds place at number one. Not that we'll let you surpass us that easily."
"Oh ya, you said you guys are ranked second now or somethin'?" Natsu asked, the puppet mage nodding in confirmation. "then does that mean Blue Pegasus is number one right now?"
"Hell no! You really think that's possible?!" Toby shouted unnecessarily loudly from across the guild only for Yuka to immediately tell him to quiet down.
"Come now everyone, this is not a subject we should be discussing on such a joyous day. It is far more important to celebrate your return from the jaws of death. Considerations such as who is number one can wait for another day." Jura declared, effectively ending the conversation. As no one was willing to risk the anger of a member of the Wizard Saints.
The rest of the party was surprisingly subdued compared to their usual fair, meaning that Gray and Natsu only got into three fights and there wasn't even a guild-wide brawl. But considering the fact that everyone was still coming to terms with everything that had happened. And while Lucy couldn't help but be worried about Priscilla and Vincent and if they were still being held by the Magic Council, at the very least she could make sure she enjoyed the party that everyone left behind was throwing for them. This was not only a chance for everyone who had endured the seven years being left behind to finally feel some relief, but for everyone who had been trapped on the island to celebrate their victory.
And that was why Lucy was more than willing to indulge the others even if she had never really been all that Comfortable with being a part of the party, and why she wasn't all that shocked when Sherry approached her later in the evening, the neon pink haired woman swaying noticeably as she staggered over to the table the blonde was currently resting at.
"Hmmm…Luuuucccyyyy…I'm so happy your back! I-It was so sad when you and the others vanished." The puppeteer mage switched between being extremely happy to the verge of tears, the blonde simply smiling at her words.
"Mmmm, it is pretty sad that we had to leave everyone behind for so long." She agreed, her agreement causing Sherry to cheer and clap her hands together, her next words causing the blonde to freeze.
"But now you're no longer my rival in love! You and Natsu make such a nice couple! You two should come and join Ren and I for a double date once you get settled in."
"…Eh? What do you mean "A couple"?" she couldn't help but ask, her head tilted to the side in confusion, a look that Sherry was quick to replicate.
"Oh, there's no need to be shy Lucy. After all, you can't hide such feelings of love from me. I mean, that pink haired fool has been watching you all night, checking in on you constantly, and from just the look on his face alone its clear he's head over heels for you!" Sherry explained before a knowing smile spread across her lips. "And from how often you've been stealing glances at your sweetheart, it's clear to this master of love that you feel the same right?...Right?...Um, Lucy, are you ok?" the woman continued to throw oil on the fire of her own making, only realizing at the end of her explanation that Lucy had become incredibly pale by the end of her words.
I…Natsu…we…lo-love each other?! Bu-but that can't be! I don't know the first thing about being in love! Lucy denied as her gaze was immediately drawn to the fire dragon slayer in question, the boy seemingly sensing the fact that she was watching him from where he was talking to Romeo, turning to her, and smiling that smile of his before returning to whatever conversation he was having, the pinkette having no idea just what kind of effect his smile had on her, his grin sending her mind into even further turmoil.
Because, in the end, Lucy just had no idea just what it meant to be in love with someone. She had loved others before, had loved her mother and the other children at the institute. She cared deeply for every single member of the guild and would do anything to protect them. But loving someone like what Sherry was talking about? She hadn't even the slightest idea what that meant. And besides, what right did she have to love someone after everything she had done?
"Um…Lucy? Are you alright? You look like someone just told you love doesn't exist." Sherry eventually asked, her words drawing the now startled blonde out of her thoughts.
"A-ah…I'm ok. just thinking to hard." Lucy tried to deflect the question, a deflection that even she knew was so poor that no one would buy it, lest of all a woman who was such an expert on love. "Ah, sorry Sherry, but I just saw Wendy trying to get my attention, so if you'll excuse me…" The blonde apologized as she quickly got as far away from the puppet mage as she could, walking right past the girl she claimed had called her over and right out the doors of the guild, her heart pounding in her chest all the while and getting even worse when she saw Natsu watching her leave but she didn't bother to stop and explain where she was going.
After all, how could she explain what was happening when she had no clue either?
Since the city had repossessed Fairy Hills, Lucy and the rest of the women who had once called the dormitory home were forced to find their own sleeping arrangements for the night, the blonde in question choosing to sleep out under the stars in the forest behind the guild. She had been particularly terrified when at one point she had seen Natsu sniffing around the back of the guild, likely looking for her, but hadn't been able to find her…something she was eternally thankful for.
She had something she had to ask of the guild's foremost expert on relationships; Mirajane, something that could mean the difference life or death if she did not get the answer soon.
So, first thing in the morning Lucy snuck past Natsu and Max, who appeared to be having some sort of duel, and made her way in to the guild. Once inside Lucy's eyes immediately locked on to Mira, the white-haired barmaid once again behind the counter, making it almost seem like nothing had changed in all the years they'd been gone.
"Ara, Lucy. Is something wrong? Your looking pretty intense this morning. Are you hungry?" Mira asked with a giggle as Lucy approached the counter.
"No, I'm fine…Mira, do you mind if I ask you something?" Lucy asked after a moment of hesitation, the sound of an explosion echoing through the guild hall, though none of the members inside bothered to check on what was happening, everyone just assuming it had something to do with Natsu.
"Of course! What can I help you with?" The barmaid asked as she turned back around and returned to polishing a glass.
"How do you know if you're in love? And what should I do if I think I am in love?" The blonde asked before freezing solid at the feeling that was now filled the guild.
It was the feeling of impending death, pure and simple. Like a thousand blades were being pointed in her direction, held against her throat, and just about to run her through. Every instinct she had, both as a dragon and as a human, were screaming at her to not move even in the slightest bit as Mira whirled around as doing so could spell her doom. The glass that had been in her hands only moments ago falling forgotten to the ground as Mira grabbed Lucy by the shoulders and pulled her into a storage room at the back of the guild hall with a speed that Lucy wasn't aware the older mage was capable of. The silver haired woman's look more intense than anything Lucy had ever seen before.
"Lucy, explain everything to me. Don't leave out a single detail. Understand?" The barmaid commanded, Lucy nodding as fast as she could in a vain attempt to not be killed where she stood.
And so, Lucy talked about what Sherry had said last night. She talked about how the Lamia Scale member had congratulated her on her relationship with Natsu, about how she had explained what Natsu's recent actions meant…and that in her opinion Lucy returned these feelings, even if she wasn't consciously aware of them.
At the end of her explanation the feeling of dread that filled the tiny storeroom grew exponentially worse, but thankfully it no longer felt like the killing intent was being directed at her anymore.
"Honestly! For a woman so obsessed with love to not notice that Natsu hadn't confessed to you yet…I'm going to have words for her the next time she shows her face around here." The barmaid muttered, Lucy silently praying that the Puppet mage would stay as far away as possible for her own sake.
"So its true then? Natsu really does…" Lucy trailed off, too nervous to give voice to the question, Mira smiling almost sadly at her.
"I'm sorry Lucy, but that's something our resident fire dragon slayer will have to talk to you about. Its not something for me to tell you." The demon take-over mage denied before placing a comforting hand on the blonde's head. "But I can tell you that I've been watching you two interact for a while now, and I don't think the feelings you have for each other are simply that of being friends."
"But…why? Why would Natsu love me? I haven't…I've done such awful things before I joined the guild. I've caused so much problems for the guild and it was probably my fault that Acnologia attacked us and made us lose seven years of our lives. So why would he…" Lucy tried to refute, tried to deny the truth of the older girls words, but was stopped when the hand that had been resting on her head a moment ago was now flicking her nose, causing the blonde to flinch backwards and rub her now sore nose.
"Lucy, I won't forgive anyone who talks bad about a guild member, even if those words are from the guild member in question. Understood?" Mira warned, Lucy nodding dumbly in response, before crossing her arms across her chest. "And why wouldn't Natsu like you like that? Your loyal to our family to a fault, you indulge him no matter how stupid his ideas are, and have suffered the same loss that he suffered fourteen years ago. It's only natural that he would empathize and care about someone like that…but that's just my opinion. And there's only one way to find out why exactly he might like you."
"One way? What's that?" Lucy asked, Mira smiling as she wagged a finger in the blonde's face.
"Why to ask him yourself if he likes you! And then to tell him if you like him back or not!" Mira exclaimed, the blondes face falling as she turned her gaze away.
"But…but how would I even know if I like him? I've never…I've never even thought about things like that before so how do you tell if you love someone?" Lucy asked, Mira humming in thought as she stared at the blonde curiously.
"Did your mother never talk to you about relationships? I know she was a dragon but surely she talked about it at some point, right?" Mira asked, Lucy's eyes narrowing as she thought back to her mother's various lessons.
"Ummm…she mentioned something about being offered the bodies of magical beasts or powerful mages, and that I should only consider the one who brings me the worthiest kill. So, does that mean that I can tell who I love based off of how many enemies they defeat?" Lucy asked almost excitedly, finally glad that there was some part of this conversation that she could understand.
An excitement that was quickly squashed when Mira stared at her with an exasperated expression. "No Lucy, that is absolutely not how you should figure out who to date." She refuted before sighing and rubbing her forehead, apparently trying to gather her thoughts. "Hmmm, how to explain this…oh! I've got it! Lucy, close your eyes and try and think about each of the scenarios that I'm going to present you with, ok?" The barmaid commanded, Lucy nodding in agreement before closing her eyes. "Alright, now first I want you to try and imagine Natsu and…hmmmm…let's say Erza being partners, if you never formed a team with the fire dragon slayer and the two of them went on all the adventures you and Natsu have been on."
Lucy still didn't understand what exactly the point of this was, but Mira hadn't ever really tried to lie to her before so she was just going to have to trust her. and so, she imagined exactly what the barmaid had described. She imagined Natsu and Erza going to retrieve the Daybreak book from that strange man who's name she could no longer remember. She thought about what it would have been like if it had just been Natsu, Gray, and Erza who had gone to Galuna Island. She considered how different things would have been if it had been just Erza and Natsu who had gone after Macao on that cold day that felt like a lifetime ago. She imagined every moment she had shared with her pink haired partner but without her being part of them…and she didn't like it one bit. An almost nauseous feeling settled in her stomach as she thought about someone else getting comforted by Natsu that night after she returned from the tower of heaven. Her fists tightened noticeably when she considered that he could have never been there to save her from the man who had twisted her life so much.
With every single scenario that her mind presented her with the twisted, awful, feeling in her stomach continued to grow worse with every passing second.
And apparently her discomfort was so clear that even Mira could see it, as it was then that the take-over mage finally interjected. "Ok, I think that's enough of that Lucy, wouldn't want the guild to be destroyed this soon. After all, that's Natsu's job." The silver haired woman commanded, Lucy opening her eyes to see her magic swirling around her in a chaotic storm, her emotions whipping her powers in to a frenzy. "One last question Lucy; no matter what reason, could you ever see yourself without Natsu by your side? Can you imagine a future where he's not there with you, taking on whatever threats come our way?" The barmaid questioned, Lucy not even needing a moment to consider the question.
"No." She answered simply, as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world, an answer that sent the barmaid into a fit of giggles.
"Then I think you have your answer Lucy. If you can't imagine a life without Natsu by your side then maybe that's what your love looks like."
"…That's it? That's what it means to love someone?" Lucy couldn't help but question. Because after all, wouldn't that mean that she had been in love with Natsu for a long time?
"Everyone's love is completely different Lucy. and sure, maybe yours is a little more…unique than most, but it's still yours. The only question is if you want to act on it." Mira finished before wrapping an arm around Lucy's waist and leading her back to the main hall. "Don't be afraid to think about it some more Lucy, to make sure your feelings are really what they are. But that also doesn't mean that you should be afraid to go after Natsu yourself…but please don't bring in any freshly slaughter monsters to the guild ok? It's bad enough when Erza does that and we don't need more monster trophies taking up space."
Mavis Vermillion, the founder of Fairy Tail, watched from her spot in the rafters as third, now sixth, guild master proclaimed his intention to sign her guild up for something known as the Grand Magic Games. A tournament that the kingdom of Fiore had apparently created in order to rank the strength of the various guilds that dotted the land. It was an interesting sounding game, one that had her inner strategist just itching to plan for, but hearing about the guilds future plans was not why she was here today. No, her green eyes were focused solely upon the head of blonde hair that belonged to a girl who, while looking at the Yuri's child, clearly had other things on her mind at the moment.
She had not informed any member of the guild of her suspicions, but Mavis could not help but be curious and a little unsettled by Lucy. The Fairy Sphere was created to be an ultimate defense spell, one that cut off everything within the spell from the outside world. She, Precht, Warrod, and Yuri had designed the spell to, in essence, create what amounted to a separate world within its boundaries.
And someone, or something, had passed through it without a hint of resistance and plucked the soul of one of her children and absconded with it to who knows where. Only returning the blondes soul-was it even her soul? What if it had been replaced by another during their time sealed away? What if it was one of Zeref's demons now parading around in the child's body? - the moment that she released the spell.
No one, not herself, not Zeref, and most certainly no living mage in the world today, could manage such a feat. And if no human mage would be capable of such a feat…that narrowed down the possible suspects greatly. And most worryingly, it left beings such as the gods as the prime suspects of the girl's soul theft.
Was this Ankhseram's doing? Or perhaps some other deity interfering where they don't belong?...Mavis couldn't help but consider as the children of her precious guild began to break off into groups and began to plan out where they would be going to train over the next three months. …hmm, no, this does not feel like the death gods doing. After all, no one close to her has died yet, and Ankhseram is not such a kind god as to spare her when neither I nor Zeref escaped its wrath…but at the same time, it does feel similar.
Mavis still had no answer for who had been interfering by the time the members of her guild began to disperse, and she doubted she would have an answer anytime soon, but that was fine. If Zeref, Acnologia, and other such beings were going to be interfering in the home she had built all those years ago then she not remain silent.
It was time for the Fairy Tactician to begging moving once again. And the first order of business she had in devising her future strategies would be to uncover the mystery of Lucy of Fairy Tail.
"He, he! This is going to be such fun! Its like I'm the protagonist of a detective novel!" the projection giggled to herself as she let her form fade into motes of light.
Lucy wasn't sure exactly why their group had chosen to come to the beach in order to train for the Grand Magic Games, as there was nothing particularly challenging about the environment of sandy beaches and rolling waves to force them to grow. But considering that the last time they had come to the beach they had been drawn into the Tower of Heaven conflict perhaps Erza was simply hoping for someone to pick a fight with them, that would make sense.
Their group had each gone their separate ways for the day, each of them having their own training methods they wanted to practice in solitude. Lucy for her part decided that she needed to continue practicing with her dragon slayer magic in order to use both her styles of magic in conjunction. As chaos dragon slayer magic tended to react poorly to other forms of magic, the only way for her to learn how to balance both types of magic at once was the same way she had learned to use magic to begin with; through fighting for her life. And since she could summon her own sparring partners, she had plenty of opportunities to practice.
Case in point, she was currently dodging Loke's blade as the light elemental swung at her, his blade more a flash of light than an actual weapon. Lucy for her part wasn't attacking at all, instead trying to focus on controlling both her elemental magic as well as her far more chaotic dragon slayer magic, though she was forced to deflect the light elemental's blade on occasion when his strikes grew too accurate. But after a few close calls Lucy finally had a chance to disengage from the man and call upon an elemental to aid her, the blonde choosing to summon a lesser earth elemental, as her contract with the earthen plane was one of her oldest, and therefore she believed that she would be able to maintain a connection with their elementals and her chaos dragon slayer magic at the same time.
A belief that was quickly proven false when almost immediately after appearing Lucy suffered a backlash shock as the two magics interfered with each other, the lesser earth elemental immediately vanishing while her body seized up for a moment as her internal Ethernano was thrown into disarray.
And while this mistake would have been a death sentence in a normal fight, luckily Loke was paying enough attention to see Lucy freeze up and ceased his attacks. The light elemental taking a deep breath as he sheathed his sword. "Well, I suppose that's just as good of an excuse as any to take a break. After all, while I can't say I'm terribly upset at making you pant so much, I'd rather not have Natsu getting jealous of me yet again." The light elemental joked, and for once Lucy actually understood what the elemental was alluding to. Her cheeks going pink at the insinuation and Loke's face going pale at the sight. "N-no way! You actually figured out how you feel?"
"…Was it really that obvious?" Lucy couldn't help but mutter as she fell backwards onto her butt in order to take a break, the pink tint in her cheeks fading somewhat as she puffed them out in displeasure.
A look that was met with laughter, the elemental chuckling as he leaned against a nearby palm tree. "Very. To the point where Nyneve was of the opinion that unless someone flat out explained it with simple words to both you and Natsu that nothing would ever come of your mutual feelings. I'm glad to see that you've proven her wrong."
"…Not really. Someone did tell me." Lucy admitted, Loke's laughter only increasing.
"Well, good luck with your confession. All of us in the Elemental planes will be rooting for you." Loke cheered before snapping his fingers. "Ah, before I forget, there was something I was asked to entrust to you."
"Hm? What?" Lucy muttered as Loke held out his hand, a golden light gathering in his palm before solidifying into an equally golden key.
"This is one of the Zodiac Gate keys, specifically the one that belongs to the celestial spirit Capricorn. Are you familiar with Celestial spirit summoning Lucy?" The elemental asked, the blonde shaking her head in denial.
"Only a little. It's a form of summoning magic that calls forth the embodiments of the constellations right?"
"Correct, and this key allows one to summon one of the twelve unique zodiac spirits. One who had been possessed by a member of Grimoire Heart. When I defeated him he entrusted his key to me in and requested that if at all possible to find him a suitable master. I know that you might not necessarily have time to search for a celestial wizard, but if you meet one at the Grand Magic Games and they're worthy of owning this key, would you mind delivering it to them? As a favor from one summoned being to another?"
"Of course, I'd be happy to." Lucy replied as Loke deposited the key to her open hand, a rush of warm magic passing up her arm as the key glowed gold for a brief moment.
"Thank you, Lucy. And as thanks let me teach you just how a woman can improve their chances of their confessions succeeding. First off, how many seduction tactics did they teach you at the instit-." The elemental started to say before Lucy forcibly cut him off by sending him back to his plane. She could do without his help, thank you very much.
Natsu couldn't help but growl under his breath as he made his way through the weird hotel, they were staying at for the three months of training for the games, the fire dragon slayer's frustration at everything that was going on just on the verge of boiling over. It had come as quite the shock to the fire dragon slayer to find out that they had all been trapped on Tenroujima for seven years. Seven years that the rest of the world continued to move on without them. Seven years of clues about his old man that he might have missed, as well as seven years of fights that he passed on. Hell, even Max was strong enough now that he could give the fire dragon slayer a hard time! That just wasn't right on so many levels.
Which is why everyone who had been left behind on the island was doing their very best to get stronger. They would fight, train, and do things the Fairy Tail way for three months and then prove to the world that Fairy Tail was just as strong as ever once they entered the game thingy that everyone was talkin' about before.
But while Natsu's lack of strength was frustrating, it wasn't the source of his anger this time. It had been a little over four weeks since they had all gotten back from the S-class trials and Natsu hadn't really had any great chance to talk to his partner! Hell, it almost seemed like she was avoiding him for some reason.
And for once the pink dragon slayer had no idea what he'd done to piss her off. Sure, he had stolen some of the food off of her plate at their welcome back party, but getting mad over lost food was more Happy's thing so he doubted it was that. Was it 'cause he dragged her off on a mission a few days into their beach training…nah, that didn't feel like something that would make Lucy angry. But what was it then?
And it was really important that he figured it out…'cause if he didn't, he wouldn't be able to have the big talk, the most important talk of his life if he was being completely honest with himself, with her. Natsu hadn't admitted it to anyone, not Gray, not Erza, and not even to Happy, but after everything that went down on Tenrou Natsu had been terrified of losing not just his friends, but of losing Lucy. When that asshole of a dragon had told her to go and die it had felt like his entire stomach had turned to ice, and it wasn't even because he had tried to eat some more of Gray's ice.
He had been that close, that close, losing her, to losing almost everyone he cared about, and the thought of letting her go without tellin' her how he felt terrified him more than the thought of never seeing his old man ever again. It was that bad.
And so the fire dragon slayer had made a choice, he was going to tell her that he loved her and just deal with the consequences like he dealt with everything, head on with his head held high.
That was why he asked to talk to her before Acnologia had blasted them all to kingdom come, had asked her for the chance to finally move forward if they managed to survive. And thanks to the first Master, they did! But now that he had the chance to finally talk to the partner who was takin' up more and more of his thoughts with every passing day she was nowhere to be seen!
Which is why he was currently stomping through the hotel heading to the room the women had rented for their stay. Normally he wouldn't dare approach their door this late into the night, for fear of what Erza would do to him if she thought he was goin' after someone's "purity" or somethin' like that, not to mention what the crazy little imp Tiria would do if she caught him. But tonight Jet and Droy had run past earlier saying somethin' about how someone had given the girls some really heavy alcohol or something and how they were all going crazy. Which meant that Natsu finally had a chance to try and get an answer out of his partner on why she was always trying to get away from him nowadays…and plus, the dragon slayer would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't just a little bit curious about how Lucy would act if she got a little smashed.
But when Natsu finally arrived at the room where the girls were, he didn't hear the crashes and bangs he would have normally associated with one of Erza's drunken rampages. Instead he only heard the quiet shuffling noise of people moving about in the room before he opened the door.
"…Inquiry; Master, where would you like me to place Lady Lockser?" Natsu heard the mecha lady ask from one of the adjoining rooms but was to distracted by the sight of his partner struggling to drag a passed out Tiria. The fire dragon slayer feeling an involuntary shiver pass down his back at the smile on the younger slayers sleeping face.
"Any bed roll will do…I think? Erza never said we had assigned beds before so I don't …" Lucy started to answer before noticing Natsu standing in the door, though she didn't see him for long as she quickly averted her gaze, a fact that nearly made Natsu growl in annoyance but he just barely managed to hold it back. "A-ah…H-hello Natsu. Is there something you need?"
"…Nah, just came here 'cause I heard there was a party going on. But now that I'm here you need any help?"
"Grateful acceptance; your aid would be most welcome Lord Dragneel. Please assist me in relocating Ms. Scarlet." Artemis answered before Lucy could reply, the gun lady gesturing to a passed out but very pleased looking Erza.
"Ya, ya, sure." Natsu answered easily as he grabbed the scarlet haired mages legs while Artemis grabbed her arms.
It didn't take long for the three mages to finish getting the drunk mages squared away, which Natsu was thankful for 'cause if he spent too much time thinking about how he was going to confront his still silent partner. Although, now that he got an up close and personal look at her he couldn't help but notice just how flushed her cheeks were. Did she have a cold or something? Maybe that was why she was avoiding him?
But before he could think too long on as Artemis drew both dragon slayers attention. "Mission statement; current objective complete. Thank you for the aid Lord Dragneel. I will now begin my nightly patrol of the premises. Goodnight Master, Lord Dragneel." The Machias announced as she made her way out of the hotel room, leaving the two dragon slayers by themselves for the first time in weeks.
While Natsu might not be the sharpest sword in Erza's room, even he could tell that the silence between the two of them was awkward as all hell. Ok then…what do I do now?...ah, right! Happy said that girls like confessions to be romantic and all that stuff, so I gotta set the mood before talking to her! Natsu decided with a nod before turning to his partner, the blonde slayer staring at the wall with a far off look in her eyes, a look that changed into being a startled one when Natsu slapped a hand down on her shoulder. "Hey Lucy, if you're not tired yet, wanna go on a walk with me?"
"…Ah, sure. I'd love to." Lucy answered after a moment, the chaos dragon slayer forcing out such a fake smile that Natsu was half tempted to call her out on it right then and there. But in the end, he decided against it since she had agreed to spend time with him, and that was kinda a rarity nowadays.
The two exited the room and started to make their way down the open-air corridor that ran along the outside of the hotel, Lucy having turned her gaze to the night sky while Natsu was more than happy to just steal the occasional glance at his partner. "So, whose bright idea was it to give Erza alcohol?" Natsu couldn't help but ask, Lucy turning her attention away from the sky to smile thinly at him.
"It was a mistake. The hotel delivered the wrong order with our dinners and no one noticed until Erza started yelling about how we didn't have enough training…and booze…and men…and just yelling about everything…although it was pretty tasty so I suppose it wasn't all that bad in the end." Lucy admitted Natsu staring at her like she had grown a second head.
"Wait…are you drunk Lucy?" The pink haired slayer questioned. After all, his instincts were screaming at him that if he confessed to her while she was smashed then Mira would have his head.
"…Maybe? I've been trained to handle my liquor so I don't end up like the others. But Tiria should have had the same training so maybe I'm just better at hiding it than most?" Lucy thought out loud, Natsu grinning widely at her in response.
"He, he. As expected of my partner! You're so awesome Lucy!" Natsu complimented, but instead of looking happy at the compliment like he expected, Lucy instead started to frown. "What's wrong? It's pretty cool that you can drink pretty much everyone but Cana under the table, at lest it is to me."
But Lucy didn't immediately respond, instead choosing to stare intently at the floor beneath them. But after a few seconds her gaze returned to Natsu, a new firmness now in her eyes. "Natsu, I need to ask you something."
"Course Lucy, ask me anything." Natsu answered easily.
"…Why are you in love with me?" The blonde asked with a curious tilt of her head.
…it was the most devastating sneak attack Natsu had ever suffered, and that was including the one time a bunch of ninjas had ambushed him on the train back to Magnolia. The pink haired slayer had to take a moment to try and reboot his brain, then had to pause a minute to try and make sense of just what had occurred…and decided instead of trying to think on what his partner had just said he just decided to go with the words that immediately came to mind.
"Lucy, what the hell?! You can't just spring something like that on me!" The fire dragon slayer half screamed back, as he wasn't gonna risk waking up a still drunk and pissed of Erza, Lucy blinking owisly in response.
"Ah, sorry…but would you mind giving me an answer?"
"…Gahhh, how'd you even find out anyway? Was it Happy? Of course it was, the little bastard is probably sittin' back laughing at-." Natsu started to rant before Lucy shook her head in denial.
"No, it was someone else who told me." Lucy answered, her tone still surprisingly level considering they were currently disgusting the fact that Natsu was in love with her. "But no matter how much I think about it I just don't understand…" The blonde trailed off, seemingly unwilling to finish her question.
"…Don't understand what Lucy?" Natsu quietly questioned, his eyes narrowing at where he thought this conversation was heading.
And sure enough, it headed right where he thought it would. "I don't understand how you could love someone like me." Lucy answered after a moment, her eyes downcast as she turned back to gaze at the moon, the chaos slayer unable to meet his gaze any longer. "How could you love someone who's killed people before? How could you love someone who killed her own parent because the man who twisted her into a killer asked her to? How…how can you even stand me knowing that I might not even be human?"
"…What the hell are you talkin' about Lucy?" Natsu managed to growl out, just barely managing to get his rage under control. Not that Lucy had any idea how pissed he was, a self-deprecating smile on her face as she continued to stare up into the night sky.
"Ah, I never did mention it did I? Jude Heartfilia told me that I was born from pure Ethernano. That I never even had human parents to begin with. My entire life, no, my entire existence amounts to nothing more than being a tool to be used by some ruler of magic known as Solomon." Lucy chuckled then, a dry, humorless, laugh that made Natsu tense to the point that he felt like if anything even so much as poked him he would snap. "And as we all slept in the barrier, I found out that this Solomon even manipulated events to make sure that I ended up at Fairy Tail…"
It was then that Lucy finally turned her attention from the sky back to Natsu, and Natsu couldn't help but suck in a startled breath at the tears that were starting to run down her cheeks. "Everything I've ever done, everything I've been…it was all because some god-like being decided it should be that way. So how Natsu? How can you love me if that love might not even be your choice, but the choice of Solomon?"
For a time, the only sound was the faint chirping of crickets and the occasional sniffle from Lucy. But it wasn't because Natsu was so shocked by her admissions that he couldn't find his voice, nor was it due to the fact that just down the hall all the girls were still passed out. Heck, it wasn't even because he was just so angry at his partner for thinkin' like this…ok well, not just because he was pissed.
No, his silence was simply because he was so floored that after everything Lucy had learned in her time at Fairy Tail, she was still just as stupid as ever.
"Heh…hah ha. hahah ha!" Natsu started to laugh, clearly taking Lucy be surprise considering how she flinched and stared at him like he was insane. "Man Lucy, your just as funny as ever!"
"Natsu wha-."
"No, you don't get to talk now Lucy, now its my turn." Natsu interrupted as he stepped forward and grabbed Lucy by the arms and pushed her back against the railing, the fire dragon slayer making sure that he had his idiotic partners undivided attention. "You think I give a shit about all that stuff you did back when you lived under that Heartfilia bastard's thumb? Hell no!" Natsu growled as his flames began to emerge from his body and wrap around the two of them, his anger singeing the wood. "You asked why I love you even though you killed your mom? Heck I probably like you even more when you told us that 'cause you showed that you'd do anything, even something as soul-crushing as that, to protect the people you care about. You think I'd hate you just 'cause you got some blood on your hands? That just shows go as far as you need to fight for Fairy Tail. And that stuff about this Solomon and you not being a human? Heck, I should be thanking them for letting me fall for you before I deck 'em for making you feel this way about yourself!"
Natsu smiled then, a big toothy grin that caused Lucy to suck in her own breath. "I love ya Lucy. I love the way you just accept that Happy and I show up to raid your fridge and hang out with ya. I can't get enough of watching you beat up bastards that would hurt our family, of watching you fight for what you believe in. I'd be the happiest dragon slayer alive if I could just be by your side for the rest of our days, even if you are a complete weirdo."
"I love ya 'cause your you Lucy! And nothin's ever gonna change that! So, while I might not know much about how to do this whole relationship thingy, I'd really like it if you'd give me a chance to make you see yourself the way I see ya-!" Natsu asked before being cut off, not by a slap or by Lucy walking off like he half expected her to do, but by a pair of soft lips being pressed against his own and by Lucy's own magic exploding out of her and mingling with his flames, the two magics mixing with the same ease that they did that day when they put Jude in his place; like they were always meant to mix like this.
But much to Natsu's disappointment, Lucy eventually pulled back from the kiss, her cheeks pinker than Natsu had ever seen. She was still crying, but considering the fact had she had an honest to god smile on her face Natsu didn't think the tears were falling for the same reason.
"…Thank you Natsu, thank you." The blonde breathlessly replied, Natsu deciding then and there that he really liked hearing her like that and would endeavor to take her breath away whenever possible. "Honestly, I really don't know if what I feel for you is love or not…but I know that I really would like to find out. I like you Natsu, I like you more than I like myself sometimes, and if this is how love feels then I'd be ok feeling this for the rest of my life…so long as your willing to let me stand by your side."
Natsu's smile grew so wide in that moment that it was almost painful and a part of him wanted to release a breath attack into the air just to help relive the warm pressure he was feeling in his chest. Of course, he wouldn't 'cause he didn't wanna risk waking Erza so instead he just settled for claiming Lucy's lips for himself once again, a satisfied growl echoing through his chest when Lucy returned his embrace.
"…Oh, and don't worry about not giving me any impressive kills before trying to court me." Lucy commented the moment he pulled away, a relived sigh escaping from Natsu's lips at her words.
"Oh, thank god! I couldn't think of anything to hunt that would work but that Acnologia bastard! Though I did hear that there was some kind of sea serpent spotted around here if you want me to bring you its head instead."
Still not dead! Hey everyone, even though its pretty pointless for me to apologize at this point, I'm still going to do it anyway. I'm sorry that it takes me so long to get these chapters out. even with the apocalypse in full swing, I still have just as much work getting in the way as ever. Though hopefully the confession makes up for it! Honestly, I really agonized over figuring out how Natsu and Lucy were going to admit their feelings for each other, as I have neither been confessed to nor confessed to anyone in my life so I really have no idea how to write these kinds of scenes. I originally wanted to get the entire three month training stuff out of the way with this chapter, but I decided it would be better to assure you all that I am in fact still alive and have not abandoned this story. The plan is for the next chapter to finish up the training and get through the opening act of the GMG but we'll see.
Until next time everyone!