When Lucy opened her eyes, she found herself shockingly disoriented and confused. For one, she had no idea where she was. No one was there except for the purring feline half-curled on her chest, his slitted eyes watching her every movement. She was exhausted still, too, and could barely find the energy to lift herself upright with a muffled groan.

Her first instinct was to shift Happy into her lap and check for Natsu. She sluggishly touched that part of him that resided in her, finding it filled with annoyance, boredom, frustrated agitation, and amusement. She was too tired to bother trying to see through his eyes and figure out what he was doing. So, instead, she swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"C'mon, Happy," she mumbled, "let's go figure out where the others are." She guessed that Natsu had the celestial spirits' keys. They most certainly weren't on her or with her whip and knife. She paused to strap the knife to her thigh, not daring to go anywhere without it after Leo's several attacks. Finished, she gathered Happy to her chest and made her way into the corridor.

Happy squirmed free of her arms after a few moments and took the lead, purring as he lazily guided them through the halls. He knew the way then, Lucy realized, comforted by such a fact.

They'd been walking for several minutes, a chill of cold air washing over her, when she was suddenly confronted by a flare of familiar heat. Lucy found herself warring with the desire to go back for a blanket at the very least, mostly because she doubted she'd be cold if she tracked Natsu down entirely. She never was when he was there.

"C'mon, Erza," purred a voice lazily, "ya gotta try harder than that."

Natsu. Lucy felt heat creeping into her cheeks as she remembered the heat of him against her, the gentle scrape of his teeth on her lips. She swallowed thickly. As nice a kiss as it had been, it was going to be distracting until she got used to the idea. She did need to discuss it with him, but...clearly, he was busy.

He stood at the other side of the courtyard Lucy found herself in, his gaze narrowed with annoyance. Black-flecked flames danced in every direction, creating a wall between him and none other than Erza Scarlet, who stood in the cold courtyard in a rather powerful set of armor. Her scarlet haired was tied out of her face, which was sharp with determination. She slammed the butt of a spear into the cobbled stone beneath her feet. "I get the feeling that you are not taking this seriously, Natsu."

"Give me a challenge, and maybe I would," he retorted with a flash of temper.

"Honestly," huffed Erza, "you'd think that you must spend every day fighting for your life or live a pointless life from the way you're acting." Natsu beamed, as if excited that she'd understood at long last, and she looked as if she was fighting the urge to throttle him when something suddenly snagged his attention. His gaze caught on Lucy, and he stopped dead, eyes lighting with relief and delight.

"Luce!" he called cheerfully, and Erza glanced back in surprise. Her eyes flickered with shock.

"Lucy," she echoed, and Lucy blinked again. So they were at Jellal's fortress...the thought comforted her immensely. They were somewhere familiar and safe, a place that Acnologia was unlikely to hunt them at. "It's good to see you awake."

She sounded so pleased that Lucy cocked a brow, watching as Natsu sauntered over to stand beside her with a bubble of happiness that appeared in her chest. "What'd he do?" she finally said after a moment of contemplation. Natsu gawked at her, and Lucy ignored the horrified look on his face as she said, "The way you said that tells me he did something."

Erza gave her a razor sharp grin. "He's spent the last three weeks in one of the worst tempers Jellal can recall him experiencing. It is why he's out here now. Jellal requested that I occupy him so he could figure out something or another without having Natsu breath down his neck."

"Natsu," scolded Lucy sharply, and he puffed a flame at her in response, pouting. But he wasn't truly bothered by the scolding; instead, there was an energetic excitement bubbling through him. She could have throttled him, she thought tiredly. "I'm sorry, Erza. Thank you and thanks to Jellal as well for helping us."

Erza's gaze softened. "Of course, Lucy. We take pleasure in helping where we can." She smiled broadly at the other woman. "Come, let's get you into some warmer clothes and something to eat...you've been out for some time and must be starving. We were able to give you some water, but that was it."

Even as her stomach twisted violently, painful at the thought of finally eating, Lucy felt something in her drop. Three weeks? Natsu nudged her pointedly, eager to get her to eat something if only to ease the pain in his own gut, but Lucy barely noticed.

She ran her hands down her face, frustrated, and then gasped. "Gray and Juvia-"

"-are entirely safe and fine," said a new voice, and Lucy snapped her head around to find Jellal ducking out to join them, the goblin clutching at the hem of his cloak. He held another cloak in his hands, which he promptly offered to her. Realizing just how cold it was despite the fact that it was the beginning of summer, Lucy hastily took it and threw it around her shoulders, grateful for the warmth of it and the slowly but steadily raising temperature around them as Natsu went to work. "Meredy and Ultear informed me just a few days ago that Rufus Portaled them back to the outskirts of Magnolia, where they were met by others of the guild."

Lucy let out a large breath of relief, wincing. "So...they were sent to Crocus?"

Natsu bounced on the balls of his feet and said, "Loke said the Spirit King helped you with the Portals since you got the others out of there."

"Loke?" she echoed.

"Leo," said Jellal with a small sigh. "Natsu informed us that the spirit has begun using another name for reasons that we do not understand."

"Reasons that you don't understand," corrected Natsu sharply, and Lucy winced at the sudden snarl of agitation that erased all of the excitement Natsu had been feeling. Clearly, this was something he'd been annoyed with for some time. So, she hastily changed the subject, figuring she could ask for more information later.

Lucy pushed some long golden hair from her face and asked, "So...our next step is to complete the new spirits' exams, right?"

Natsu shook his head. "We were told we didn't have to do the two. It's just Loke's we have to go through with."

Which meant that there was only one exam before they really had to make the decision if they were truly capable of being Keeper and Guardian to the celestial spirits...and from the sounds of it, Loke's was going to be nearly impossible to pass without something happening. The fact that the Fire Dragon King had failed…

It worried Lucy immensely.

Natsu bumped purposefully past her, startling her out of her worried thoughts. "C'mon," he drawled, "if I have to stand here and feel how hungry you are for another minute, I'm gonna start shoving food down your throat!"

Lucy gaped after him, and Jellal chuckled, ushering her after Natsu with Erza only a step behind. "He's been in an odd mood since you arrived...did something happen that we aren't aware of, Lucy?"

Memories of Natsu's lips crushed to hers in a bruising kiss flickered through her head and she squeaked, fighting the urge to turn red. "Nothing happened," she said quickly, and both Erza and Jellal sent her disbelieving looks. "Nothing at all…"


Lucy wasn't surprised when after a full meal, she was tired again. She felt much better than she had upon waking up, but found herself leaning towards the need for more sleep, which she knew was frustrating her partner. The pair had left Erza and Jellal to their own devices for the time being and while Lucy was nervous about being somewhat alone with Natsu - Happy was with them, after all - she knew that they needed to discuss their next move, whether it be about what had happened with Acnologia, Loke, or even between them.

For that reason, Lucy chose to sit on the cold hard floor of her room rather than the far more comfortable bed, figuring it would keep her awake. Natsu had slid down to sit beside her without hesitation, and Happy made himself at home in Lucy's lap, purring up a storm. He was happy she was awake, too, she thought, stroking his fur gently.

"So let me get this straight," Lucy said slowly. "Leo stopped in-"

"Loke," corrected Natsu a little sharply.

"Sorry," she sighed, grimacing. She didn't fully understand why Leo had decided to go by Loke, but with the way Natsu was insisting...she'd not question it. Instead, she corrected, "So Loke stopped in, basically told us that Cancer and Sagittarius want contracts with me in addition to saying that we didn't need to complete their exams, told you that he wouldn't tell you about your memories because someone told him to wait, and then left after deciding he wanted to be called Loke?"

"Pretty much," Natsu said with a shrug. He settled back, frowning. "Wonder who he was talking about when he said someone told him to wait about telling me the stuff with Layla…"

Lucy's head was hurting. There were far too many mysteries appearing and disappearing around them. She rubbed her temples with a heavy sigh, and then murmured, "We'll focus on the celestial spirits then, and after we're done with Loke's test, we'll start thinking about that person and what'll come with the destruction of the Eclipse Gate and Crocus."

Silence fell as Natsu nodded his thoughtful agreement, completely content to go with whatever Lucy thought was the right route. She was touched by his trust once again - and so heavily devastated by it. After a moment, she hesitantly approached a subject she knew he wouldn't like.

"Natsu...with what happened in the Pergrande Kingdom…"

Natsu stiffened, rocking forward so that he could plant his elbows on his knees. He knew she wasn't talking about Acnologia and the words she had to have heard alongside him. He knew precisely what subject she was bringing up.

"It doesn't bother me, what happened," she said, and she grinned despite the conversation they were having when he gave her an incredulous look. "It doesn't. I expected that you would be something like that if you really delved deep into that crazy magic of yours." She reached out and knocked fondly on his forehead with her knuckles. He nearly went cross-eyed trying to watch the motion. "I was more worried for you than I was that you would hurt any of us."

He stared at her for a long, long moment. Long enough that it made Lucy feel a little uncomfortable - until a swell of heat and pride and joy flooded through her and made her heart ache a little at the force of it. It was so easy to make him feel such things...he truly worried that such a thing would make her turn around him and label him as what he hated most. He was an idiot, she thought fondly as her demon nearly purred, grinning at her with his sharp, jagged teeth.

"It was a little interesting to finally get a glimpse of what all the stories have said," Lucy admitted. "That kind of power...I understand why it makes you so nervous now." That blast that had taken out the wall...it was something like out of a TV show. She'd not seen more than a flicker of flame gathered in his gullet, but the explosion had nearly brought the entire world down upon them. She patted his arm gently to reassure him that she wasn't truly unnerved by him, per se. "I think I can finally understand how you were a challenge for Igneel. It was incredible, no matter how much you hate it."

Natsu's sharp grin widened for a moment before fading. He rocked back again, studying the ceiling. "I don't get nervous. It doesn't make me nervous. If I get nervous, then it has control. It's just...hard to keep on a leash." His gaze darkened. "I lost it for a moment. I almost lost that control because Jellal lost focus. I would have killed everyone there, no matter who they are. The magic would have gone for you first. Whatever's in your blood, it likes it in a nasty way."

Lucy shrugged, not caring all that much. She trusted him to keep it under control. "Well, I think you did fantastic and did one hell of a good job at keeping Mard Greer distracted until Acnologia got there."

Natsu's gaze darkened at the mention of Acnologia. "We need to stay away from him," he rumbled. "He's after you for a reason. Dunno why, but he is."

"We knew that already, but I'm alright with that," said Lucy. She hummed to herself for a moment, and the pair sat in a comfortable silence, each mulling their own thoughts. She liked these moments, she thought. When they could sit there together without necessarily having to say anything, simply enjoying one another's company. They'd not happened very often as of late due to the presence of the others, but…

Though, she had to admit that while she enjoyed it, she found herself uncomfortable, too, unsure of how to bring up the matter of him kissing her - and, well, her kissing him, too. She supposed it was a mutual thing on both their parts.

Yet, it needed to be discussed. It was vital. She'd learned time and time again in this world that something as small as an awkward situation could result in death, and she wanted nothing like that between them - especially with Acnologia after her.

So why don't you tell him about Crocus? nagged a little voice in the back of her mind.

She ignored it and cleared her throat, intending to just start spilling whatever words came to mind about the situation. But she faltered. It took her a couple of moments to decide what she was going to say, and she picked her words with great care when she finally began to speak. "Natsu," she said hesitantly and softly, knowing that he felt fiercely about her but simply didn't comprehend it in the same way as she did despite all of his intelligence and millenia of wisdom. "Why did you kiss me?"

He grimaced, wincing, and looked a little guilty, which almost made her laugh. Almost accusingly, he mumbled, "You kissed me, too."

She cocked a brow. Someone was rather defensive about the subject. "I did," she said calmly. It was better to be honest about things like this - not that she'd ever done anything like this. "But you were the one who started it."

He spluttered, almost looking insulted. She snorted at the near pout that began to appear on his face. "C'mon, Luce-"

"Natsu," she interrupted softly, "I just want to know if you're going to play around with something like this. I'm not saying you would," she said hastily when he growled, scowling at her, "but I need to know. I can't...Natsu, I can't let something like whatever this is happen if I know it's going to hurt in the end."

He grumbled, rocking back and forth impatiently. He hated conversations like this, and Lucy's curling anxiety was definitely not helping. Couldn't they just...go along with it? But...she was scared of something, staring at him with nervous eyes that made him unhappy in turn. "I won't," he rumbled, shocking himself with how serious he was. Hesitantly, he added, "I won't play around. I'd never play around with you, Lucy."

She looked startled for a moment, but a smile broke over her face nonetheless, bright and happy. "Good." She looked down to the feline in her lap. Happy purred, watching them through eyes narrowed into slits. He was apparently enjoying the feeling of her fingers in his fur.

"So...I can kiss you again, right?"

Lucy spluttered, nearly shoving Happy right out of her lap as she snapped her head around to look at him. Once again, Natsu was shockingly serious, though there was a mischievous glint in his eyes. His lips had curved into a hint of a smirk. When she didn't respond, he mockingly leaned in, grin widening. Flustered, she leaned away, unsure of how to respond to his question without squeaking like a mouse.

"That's…" She found herself stuttering, her cheeks aflame. "I didn't...Natsu!"

He cackled, pulling away. She sighed in relief. "I'd never play with you like you thought," he told her sincerely, looking rather like a demon in that moment,"but you're still Lucy."

She gawked at him, unsure of how and why she comprehended what he was saying to her. And then she hissed like the agitated Happy, swatting at him. "Not funny!" she protested weakly as he cackled again, sounding very much like a proud witch. Still, a hint of a smile had sprung to her lips when he suddenly prodded at her and complained that he was tired of feeling how tired she was, and that she needed to go to bed and rest up some more.

Fondly, Lucy let herself press a light kiss to his head before shooing the smug, overly mischievous Natsu from the room. Maybe he'd be upset with her when he learned of the secret she kept...but he'd promised.

And maybe it was a silly thought, but surely she could trust such a small promise to overpower anything bad that happened when Natsu found out the truth?


Smaller, chill chapter after the chaos of the last few, but heading towards more. ;) The responses to the kiss made me crack up; I loved 'em. Lol.

And if you're interested, take a look at my tumbr and you'll catch a glimpse at the new piece that'll take ODAS's slot after it ends: Starfall. ;)

Thanks to reviewers (madaraswife, rao hyuga 18, AthomeinFairytail, Bookwork129, Uchida Akira, SummeryNights, 19vanelkc, PersephoneQOTU, FairyTailxFanGirl, Guest #1, stranger1999, helloimsandy, Alera33, theHumbleGM, Guest #2, Meow Orbit, valerioux, 52dreamer52, Kilo, itsxoi, moonluver92, Sele de la Luna, Lissuin, Lovetoreadff, Sydneste, Perfect Memories, BeautifulSamurai, nkukruichan, and neffateri13!) as well as those who favorited and followed!