Chapter Eight - Émerveillement

"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night." - Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Mirajane was humming softly, the bright light of the morning showering the guildhall in a soft glow of gold. The members of the guild were chatting happily, loud boisterous bursts of laughter echoing throughout the area. Setting the now crispy clean plate on the shelf, she turned towards the clock, noting the time.

"It's ten already.. What is Lucy still doing in bed..? I better go and check on her.." She whispered, wiping her damp hands on a spare towel.

"Kinana, could you please cover for me for a while? I should go check up on Lucy, she's usually downstairs by now… " Mirajane called out, nodding when Kinana agreed with a smile.

"Can we come with you Mira?" Another voice spoke. Mirajane turned around, noticing Gray and Erza standing next to her. Of course, the everpresent Juvia was clinging to her husband with no intent of leaving him- Not that Mirajane minded, really. Seeing the people of the guild so happy together made everything so much better.

"We wanted to take Lucy on a team Job with Wendy. I'm sure Happy and Natsu would like to do so too." Erza spoke too, clearing it up.

"Well of course you can come! Let's go." She replied with her unfailing smile, lighting up the guild.

The group of four headed upstairs to the guest rooms, and Mirajane knocked on Lucy's door softly. The soft thuds should have woken Lucy up, considering it was a pretty quiet morning.

"Lucy? Are you awake yet?"

No response came. Worried, she opened the door, unsurprised to find it unlocked. They filed into the room, and Mirajane closed the door behind them.

"Lucy?" She whispered softly.

The blankets were completely over the bed, hiding the girl. Mirajane smiled, and walked over to the bed. In one swift motion, she stripped the covers away.

The sight before her pulled her soul out of her body- and she was pretty sure Laxus felt that. Gasps filled the room, followed by light chuckles, and squeals. Mira was speechless, but a large smile made its way onto her face, and she clutched her hands, giggles and squeals erupting from her, and Juvia, too, joined her in gushing over their discovery.

Gray stood in shock, unable to process it, his jaw almost touching the floor in absolute, breathtaking shock.

Lucy was laying in bed, cuddled up close to a shirtless Natsu, whose vest was found peeking out from under his pillow. Natsu's arms were wrapped around Lucy, as her head lay on Natsu's arms cuddling her. Lucy's short Kimono was pretty much undone, the fabric laying loosely over Lucy's body as if it were a small towel. The man's lips were resting on Lucy's head, as her cheek was pressed lightly against his rising chest. Their legs were a tangled mess, and the four were unable to even tell where each of their legs began and ended.

"NO WAY!"

Lucy was warm. Toasty. Whatever she was tangled in was amazingly warm. She cuddled deeper into the warmth. It also seemed to clutch her tighter, and Lucy was extremely happy about that. She heard a far away voice telling her something was weird, but she brushed it off. No more getting out of bed- she didn't want to lose the warmth.

Soon though, she felt as though a weight was lifted off her, and heard giggles coming from around her. Lucy was frowning by now, not appreciating the disturbance in her amazing sleep, but she only curled deeper into the warmth that surrounded her. But when she heard a loud shout of "NO WAY!" ringing out, she was awake.

Her eyes shot open, and she jerked up immediately, a loud groan escaping her lips at the sudden breeze of cool air washing over her. She angrily looked around, looking for the intruders.

Though, her angry growls disappeared, replaced by confusion when she saw Erza chuckling, stood beside a blushing Gray and squealing Juvia and Mirajane standing next to her bed.

She was confused, and tried to step off the bed, only to find herself locked onto the spot.

"What-"

Her breath quickened as she slowly looked down. A toned arm was around her waist, resting on her exposed thighs. It tightened around her, and a soft groan came from behind her.

Lucy froze, memories of last night returning to her.

"Hey Natsu-" She started, pausing only as the said Dragon Slayer's drooping eyes came to her view. She smiled softly, turning her body towards the pink-haired man next to her. Sighing, she scooted away from the man, and used the last of her sapped strength to push Natsu into a more comfortable position. Momentarily forgetting he was a Fire Dragon, she pulled the blankets up over him. After watching the peaceful man's face for a moment longer, she too, smiled, settling into her space. She turned her body away from him, dragging the blanket over herself, cuddling into the soft material.

Squeals erupted, and Lucy snapped her head to Mirajane, her lips curling down in embarrassment. Her face flushed a dark red, and she was about to shout at Mirajane, but another groan stopped her.

She looked behind her, unable to hide her intense blush as she saw Natsu laying there. His face was buried into the pillow, his chest facing towards Lucy. His chiseled pecs rose and fell softly his other arm also curled around his harshly defined pack.

He looked uncomfortable with the noise, but Lucy couldn't help but notice how sexy he looked at that very moment, his pink hair ruffled, his mouth shut tightly, his eyebrows furrowed. She tore her eyes away from him, her already red face growing brighter as heat flushed her body.

She met Mira's gaze- A big mistake.

Mira was staring at her, smirking.

"You're drooling, Lucy!" She spoke, ushering the rest of them out of the room. "Well, we'll be on our way. You look awake enough. Bye, then! Breakfast is waiting downstairs for you and Natsu!"

The door slammed shut.

Lucy gulped.

She turned around, seeing Natsu's scrunched up face resting on the pillow, and an inevitable blush made its way onto her face.

She twisted around, now sitting cross legged on the bed, facing the man. She reached out a hand, placing it on his shoulder (concluding it a safe enough spot- she couldn't have been more wrong) and shook him, vigorously.

"W-WAKE UP NATSU!" She screamed.

"What's wrong!" He shouted back, jolting up and out of the bed in shock, only to stand up immediately. "I gotcha! What's wrong!" He shouted again, looking around, searching for an enemy.

Lucy shook her head, hearing squeals from outside her door- she knew they were watching, though she couldn't bring herself to care. Though, she was touched to know Natsu was still looking out for her, even half asleep.

"N-Nothing Natsu, I was just waking you up! N-Now-w go put on a shirt…!" She stuttered, unable to look at him, her throat drying up.

"Oh.." He said, relaxing his tense posture, bringing his arms down. He crossed his arms, leaning his face into Lucy's red one.

"Are you okay? You look a bit flushed, Luce… " He said, examining her.

Lucy was unable to remove her eyes from his own, entranced by their shifting gaze. Her body warmed up more.

"Natsu! PUT A SHIRT ON!" She forced out.

"Yeah? You should cover up, too!" Natsu shouted back, and surprisingly, Lucy found his cheeks dusted pink as he averted his gaze from her.

"Natsu. GET OUT! After you put that shirt on! GET OUT!" She screamed, her own blush rising up her face. She curled in on herself, covering up as much as she could, embarrassed.

Natsu, grumbling, complied.

She pushed him out the door, slamming it shut as soon as he had his vest in hand. She knew that she'd put him into the clutches of the demonic Mirajane, but what was she to do? Let him stay there while she got dressed? No thank you!

Though.. She felt as if she'd done something horrible, letting her crazy Soulmate into the hands of a manipulative group. Yep, she was definitely going to regret it.

She sighed, and climbed out of the toasty bed, trudging into the small bathroom.

Breakfast was scary.

Lucy was sitting at her normal stool, quietly munching away at her sandwich and drinking the steaming tea, while Natsu sat next to her, gulping down his daily breakfast- which was much larger than hers. Despite that, they seemed to finish at the same time, quite an achievement considering Natsu finished about three plates of steak within ten minutes.. But this was Natsu she was talking about. Of course he could. But the fact that she was sitting next to Natsu wasn't what was scary- no, the fact that he was next to her calmed her down a little. It was actually that Gray, Erza, Juvia, and Mirajane were both watching them eat, with deep, focused expressions adorning their faces.

Lucy cleared her throat awkwardly, fiddling with her fingers.

"H-Hey Natsu, let's go on that Job you said we could do!" She spoke, praying Natsu got the hint. She wanted to get out of here, and fast. Thankfully, Natsu seemed to sense her discomfort- he didn't even need the Bond, just by the look on her face, it was obvious. It seemed he, too, wanted to get out of there, seeing as he jumped onto her words as a way to get out of the Guild.

"Yeah! Let's go, Luce!"

They both stood up, ready to leave when a sweet voice stopped them.

"You know, I think we should speak for a bit, don't you think? Natsu's been hogging Lucy, hasn't he?" Mirajane spoke- on behalf of the entire group of four. "So you guys just sit down for a bit, why don't you? And about that Job, Gray and Erza actually wanted to go on a team mission with you two and Wendy." She chirped.

Lucy and Natsu both froze, awkwardly sitting down again.

"Why don't we just address the elephant in the room..." Gray finally spoke. His shirt was somehow in Juvia's hands, neatly folded. He leaned forward, his arms crossed-

"WHAT THE FUCK, NATSU!" He screamed, slamming his hands onto the bar table. Natsu only jumped, falling onto the floor with a thud. He shot back up, ready to give Gray a piece of his mind, but apparently, Gray wasn't finished. "WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU TWO DOING!? It's literally been five days! FIVE! And you already.. I mean- it's none of my business, but- DID YOU EVEN USE PROTE-"

Lucy's hand slammed over Gray's mouth, stopping him mid sentence. She was beet red, fuming as she breathed heavily.

"IT WASN'T LIKE THAT, GRAY!" She screeched into his ears. Natsu stood still, witnessing the events unfolding, as realisation gradually made its way into his head. He blushed softly.

"Hold on- Stripper, do you think Lucy and I had-"

Once again, Lucy's shrill shriek cut him off.

"Natsu, SHUT UP!"

Natsu obeyed, especially as the anger and embarrassment he could feel from Lucy was overflowing in him. 'I would not be testing her right now...'

"WELL, WHAT ELSE SHOULD I THINK? I found you two laying in bed all cuddled up in each other's arms- AND YOU WERE SHIRTLESS, FLAME BRAIN! AND LUCY! You were wearing that- that-" He averted his eyes from her, as his hand went up to his non-existent shirt's collar.

"Juvia does not approve..."

"I think we are all in need of an explanation, don't you think?" Erza commanded, as Mirajane picked up the plates. "And Lucy, if this imbecile did anything to you, I won't hesitate to chop his head off. One word, Lucy."

"No! It was nothing like that, I swear!" She whined, burying her head into her arms. She looked up, her face red and puffy, with her hair ruffled and sticking out in random directions. Natsu couldn't help but to chuckle at her state, but thankfully, it went unnoticed by the group.

"I just, I couldn't sleep last night, and since Natsu and I bonded, he could feel that I couldn't sleep, so he couldn't sleep either. So he came over and we read the book Loke gave us for a bit and then we just passed out, I guess. That's all!" She said, relieved to get it off her chest.

She wasn't the least bit comfortable telling them what happened last night as if it were a tragic incident. They should know better; Natsu was a child at heart. She could understand that even though she was only with them for about five days, but these people who had stuck with Natsu for centuries did not know? Lucy had to admit that besides the crazy turn of events which led to the current situation, the sleep she had last night was by far the best sleep she'd ever had, here, and in her own time. 'Besides, who wouldn't want to wake up to a shirtless Natsu Drageneel every night- WAIT! WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING!' She shook her head, filled with disbelief, earning a questioning glance from the group, and Natsu especially. Lucy's furious blush returned as they made eye contact, but she managed to calm down. Just in time, too, as the guild's door opened widely, revealing a beaming Lisanna running towards the bar. Happy was flying beside her, and another blue-haired girl came in behind her.

"Natsu! Lushie! There you are!" Happy spoke, speeding towards the group. He came in like a wrecking ball, colliding into Lucy's chest in a flash. Lucy giggled, and embraced the blue furball in a hug.

"Good to see you, too, Happy!" Once again, Lucy giggled as Happy began to purr, and Natsu's petty grunt came from beside her. "What's wrong, Natsu~ Are you jealous?" She cooed mischievously.

He only grumbled in response.

"He was whining the entire way here! He didn't even let me go pick Wendy up at first, but I made him come." Lisanna giggled, her hand covering her mouth cutely. "Alright, I'm going to go help Mira in the kitchen. Have fun guys!" She said, disappearing into the back.

Natsu nodded, but didn't pay much attention, noticing Wendy speaking with Gray and Erza.

"Wendy! You're home!" He shouted, running towards her.

"Natsu-san!" She said back, squealing as she was lifted off the ground by the blazing Dragon Slayer. He placed her on her shoulders, cackling maniacally. Gray came in next to him, ruffling Wendy's hair.

Wendy's grip tightened on Natsu's neck as she screamed. "I'm not a kid, Natsu-san! Put me down!" She squealed.

"Fine, if you say so."

.

.

.

"Just kidding!" He chortled, fire spilling out of his nostrils. He spun around for minutes, Wendy finally using her Magic on him to calm him down.

"Sky Dragon Roar!" She yelled, directing it under her. There was a loud, unmanly squeal that echoed, and she was placed down by a completely stunned Natsu.

There was a brief silence, only ending when Gray's uncontrollable laughter pierced the disbelief that hung in the air.

"FLAME BRAIN! WENDY TOTALLY DESTROYED YOU! BAHAHA-"

Natsu pounced onto Gray, repaying the damage.

"OF COURSE SHE DID, ICE PRINCESS! She's from my Nest, after all!"

"BOYS! That is enough! We haven't even introduced Wendy to Lucy yet! If you two don't-"

"Yes Ma'am!" The boys exclaimed. Natsu walked away from Gray with a frown.

"Wendy! This is Lucy, my Bound. Lucy, this is Wendy, my cousin of sorts. She's like myself and Gajeel, but she's a Sky Dragon! Some outsiders know her as the Sky Maiden." He explained, proud of her. Wendy had come a long way. She was the youngest Dragon Kin, adopted by Grandina, the Sky Dragon. He honestly hated himself for what he did to her- She had no choice but to come with him, Gajeel and the Twins. The bastard, Igneel, had made sure of it! When Natsu had found out he'd sent the younger kin away with him, Natsu was furious. Was he always that cruel? Natsu shook his head, hating the dark thoughts that creeped their way into his mind. There was no time for this, it was a story for another day.

"Nice to meet you, Lucy-san! I heard so much about you!"

The introductions carried on, And Wendy and Lucy had bonded nicely. Lucy had taken a large liking to Wendy, but she was unsure why. She was so.. Familiar! She felt just like what Loke made her feel, this random sense of distant longing, as if she'd known her in a previous life. The more she thought about it, the more curious she got.

Happy had made his way onto Natsu's shoulders, chatting away with him as he described his stay at lisanna's. Gray and Erza were talking too, most likely about the Job they were about to take.

"Lucy-san, are you feeling alright?" Wendy questioned, drawing the attention of the rest of the group.

"I'm fine, Wendy! It's just that.. I feel like I know you.. you 're giving me that same feeling that Loke gives me. Like I've known you before. I know its impossible-"

"Isn't it because you're bound to Natsu? Blessed Bou-"

"That's enough, Wendy." Two voices spoke at once. One of them being a gruff Natsu, and the other unrecognisable to Lucy.

Wendy paused at the new voice that came from behind her.

"Jellal-san! You're back!" She squealed, giving him a hug. Jellal returned it kindly. Erza strode towards them.

"Jellal" She said, also giving him a quick embrace. It seemed that Erza only knew how to hug Jellal properly…

"Erza. I've been informed of a slight problem that must be taken care of immediately. It seems that Lucy's arrival sparked an Opening. Some Celestial Beings are being brought down to Earthland, and they've been corrupted by the Anti-Ethernano. We have to close it up immediately. If you don't mind, I'll have to take you and Wendy with us on this job. We need Wendy's Enchanting and your Swords, and I can attract them with my Heavenly Body magic.. I would ask Lucy to come, but I'm afraid it's too dangerous." He looked over at Lucy with a small smile. "Maybe later, Lucy. When you can use your magic."

"Tch- As if I'd let anything happen to her." Natsu grumbled.

"I'm sure you would protect her, Natsu, but It's better if we go in a smaller group. We should head out right now, if you don't mind. I've already reported this to Makarov and other Guild Masters, so the neighbouring Guilds and authority are closing up the area as we speak." Jellal assured.

"I guess the Job will have to wait, then… " Wendy spoke.

"I'm sure we can wait a few days! We should head out now, then. Some Openings are pretty severe." Wendy added, nodding in agreement.

"I do have one more thing that is of utmost importance to do right now, and I was due to ask Natsu and to do this with me a week ago… Now that Lucy is here, it is so important for you to go. And I suppose Gray would be useful for this Job." Jellal said, furrowing his brow in deep thought. "Natsu, I just need you to make sure to be careful with this, it may lead to circumstances that could cause you to reveal things you rather wouldn't, if you catch my drift."

Lucy's eyes immediately shot to Natsu's, her mind wandering to her first day, in the meeting room with Loke and Natsu.

"And do not forget who you are speaking to, Leo, the Cowardly Lion." He growled deathly. His words sent shivers up Lucy's spine, and froze the members of Fairy Tail to their spots. Even Loke stilled at his assertive words, his magic dimming.

.

Natsu began to rise in the air, a dark crimson, almost black hue appearing in his flowing blood. His eyes darkened, as he bore his teeth at the Celestial Spirit.

Lucy frowned as Natsu's eyes immediately darkened in understanding. He frowned, but stayed silent.

"There have been reports of a 'A giant serpentine dragon' in the depths of Mount Hakobe, and the Magic Council has reason to believe that it is a Kuraokami that has been summoned. You must go to take care of this at once."

Gasps were heard throughout the group, but Lucy was only confused. "Kuraokami? As in a giant ice dragon? Like the myths? You can't be serious!" Lucy murmured.

"I'm sure that Natsu and Gray can explain to you what the big deal about a Kuraokami is on the trip there, Lucy. It would make for good conversation. Now, I think it is best that we leave, Erza, Wendy." Jellal fixed his coat, explaining brief details about their Job as they gathered their things. "Also, Natsu. Here's Mest's information incase.. Things escalate. The map for your destination is there too. Take care."

Natsu only pocketed the envelope quietly, unwilling to elaborate even to Lucy, only flashing her a small grin. 'A Kuraokami, huh? Why was it summoned in Fiore of all places? Does this also have something to do with Lucy's arrival? No.. Jellal did mention he wanted to do this before Lucy came. But I can't help but think this is tied to Lucy and I's bonding in some way...'

Jellal's group gave each other a few minutes to gather their belongings, and they were off in a flash- literally. Jellal's Heavenly Body magic allowed them to create Portals instantly, and they were gone in a few seconds. Others without the luxury of such Magic, with the exception of those tied to the stars in some way or another, could not create Portals with their own magic. Instead, the Magic Council allowed Guilds and other licensed organisations (with a minimum of 50 members) to use what are called Portal Spawners - not a very creative name - to, as suggested, spawn Portals. There are many dangers that come with using these. Since very small Openings are used for such methods, they attract undesirable creatures towards the area if many are opened at once, unlike those created by Magic. Not only that, but many Portal Spawners are inaccurate, as they require the human using it to have a clear destination in mind.

Gray broke the silence that lingered after the trio left with a small declaration of-

"Fuck."

Natsu shook out of his trance, Lucy doing the same.

"A Kuraokami? And what did he mean, ' circumstances that could cause you to reveal things you rather wouldn't', Natsu? Care to explain what that was about?"

"He just didn't want me revealing to the world what a Stupid Prick you are. It would bring shame to our Guild." Natsu sneered mischievously.

"Why you-"

"Anyway, I think we should get you some warmer clothes, Lucy, we're going to Mt Hakobe after all. You'll be riding with me so you'll be pretty warm, but still, you should grab a jacket. Ask Mira, she'll have some for you." Natsu said, nonchalantly. He then looked up, strode over to her and whispered-

"You should grab Loke's book, too. And remember to bring your Keys. We'll tell you why soon. Meet us at the back of the guild, you know the place, in 15 minutes, Luce!"

Lucy nodded, and ran up to her room to gather her things.

"What was that about, Flame Brain? You're actually taking care of her? How mature you've become!" Gray mocked. "Juvia, I better get going, want to help me pack?"

Natsu ignored him, and looked around for Happy, finding him floating in the Kitchen as Mira made him fish.

"Hey Happy! You wanna head out to Mount Hakobe with us? Or do you wanna stay here with Mira and Lisanna? We might take a few days to come back, though, buddy." Natsu asked.

"Natsu, you know I hate snow! I'll stay here! Have fun with Lushie and Gray! And bring me some fish when you come back!" He cheered, flying in loops.

"O'Course, Buddy! We'll see you soon then!" Natsu said his goodbyes to him, and headed off to his and Happy's home in the depths of the forest to grab his things. Most of which he didn't really need, but decided to bring anyway.

Fifteen minutes later on the dot, the trio met up at the back of the guild hall. This was where the Animal stables were kept, those that were definitely needed to travel all the way to Mount Hakobe. Usually, they'd take Carriages, but in this situation Natsu decided it'd be better to bring their own transports.

"Ready Luce?" Lucy nodded excitedly, and it showed. She carried a sack on her side, carrying her keys in their key-case and Loke's book. She brought a sleeping bag with her too, thanks to Mira's suggestion. She wore a thick woolen coat that was buttoned up to her knees, and the woolen gloves were stored away safely in the sack. A scarf, too, was neatly packed in the pack.

Natsu, on the other hand, wore his usual loose pants and vest, and Gray wore a tight black muscle tee, a long grey jacket also on him. His silver wedding ring adorned his finger as usual.

"Gray, we should take the stags. They're a bit slower but I think it's best to take them if we're going to Mount Hakobe."

"Good idea- For once" Gray replied back.

"We're going to Portal to the base of Mount Hakobe, then we'll have to carry on on our rides. It's not safe to Portal to somewhere with a Kuraokami strolling around." Natsu said, walking over to one of the Stags which were in the large, spacious sheds. Gray too went in with him.

"Alright Luce, say hello to Devora, our ride! And this is Glacino, Stripper's ride."

Lucy greeted both of them, rubbing their snouts softly.

"Hop on, Luce!" Natsu said.

"Okay!" Lucy said happily. She walked over to Devora, and struggled to hop on to the unimaginably large Stag. Natsu hopped on behind her. Gray was in front of both of them, leading the way.

"Gray, make the portal!" Natsu shouted.

Lucy was settled comfortably on Devora, her back brushing against Natsu's chest. He caged her, his hands reaching past her and holding onto the Devora's horns. His hot breath fanned over her slightly exposed breath, and she couldn't help but shiver- at the pure excitement she felt being this close to Natsu. And being aware of it, the sleep she had last night, no matter how wonderful, didn't count!

"One Portal, coming right up!"

Oh boy. This was going to be a long journey for Lucy Heartfilia.

Author Notes

Hey! I am really sorry for the very late update! ~

I hope this made up for it! :)

There's a lot of action coming up!

~ Kyla