Chapter 1

Lucy was walking alone on the very night in the middle of the forest. She was on the sole mission, get a Rainbowic Mushroom which is rare to grow in Forest Morgana. Lucy sigh, tired on all the walking. Remembering back, her teammates, Natsu, Gray, Erza and Happy were being lectured by their guild master, Macarov for overdoing things such as destroying almost the whole village just because of a small mission of taking out some thieves. Lucy needing money to pay to her rent decided to get the solo mission which was this. She sighs as she looked up on the night sky.

'It's too lonely' Lucy thought to herself. This was her first solo mission which she found it lonely, after being with Natsu and Happy for her whole time mission. Not being with them was too lonely for her.

She looked around and sighs again in tardiness as she decides to rest and continue searching on the next morning. She just hopes no beast would come to her while she sleeps. She went on the big tree where she decide to rest on and sat down. She looked on the sky and yawn as her sleepiness was taking her but then, something made her eyes open and snap her sleepiness.

On the sky, a coming meteor was heading to her location. At first it was fascinating but when she realizes it was heading to her, she began to panic. She yelled and curls herself to her spot, unable to run or even walk away from fear but thankfully, it pass through her. She sighs in relief but that meteor just landed near to her location which was also bit far from her.

"Wha-what was that about?" Lucy questioned herself as she stood up and run, heading on the place where the meteor had landed.

She keeps on running, thinking some kind of new discovery on her way there. It was her first time seeing a meteor landed so it was an exciting experience. When she arrived, she was shock, there were smokes around and… no sign of rock at all.

"E-eh? I though the meteor landed here and e-eh?" Lucy was beyond confused as she keeps looking around on her spot until her eyes landed on the center.

Someone was there, seems have no consciousness and smoking. Lucy then decided to head to that person. Lucy carefully went to him and looked around for a moment before looking back at the person, knowing no one was around and seems safe. The person was covered with black hood, the body was tall and muscular so it seems this person was a man. Lucy slowly turns him around and looked for his hand and check on his pulse. He's alive and seems he also has no injury all over him which is much to her relief.

Lucy then slowly looked on the man's face, wanting to know who this person was and what he was doing here. She slowly moves the hood that was covering his face, revealing a pink hair and a familiar person to her. She was surprise on what she had discovered.

"N-Na-Natsu!" Lucy shouted in surprise. It was indeed Natsu, but seems more mature and older than what she had remembered.

Morning, Natsu wake up on his slumber and looked around. He was somewhere forest and near on the river. There was even a wet towel on his forehead. He then took it away to his head and sat up. Somehow his dizziness was clearing, much to his relief. He looked around, seeing his still clothes and someone's bag.

"Natsu your awake" A familiar girl was heard which made Natsu almost jump on surprise and turn around to see Lucy, seems she had finished her bath somewhere.

Natsu remain speechless as how surprise he is to see her. Lucy looked to him in confusion and asked. "Something wrong Natsu? Does your head hurt or something?"

Natsu snap on his thought and smiled as he answered her, "N-no I'm fine. Thanks Lucy"

Lucy smiled, knowing her best friend was finally gotten better. "You made me worried there. You were burning up all night and won't wake up as how much I had done to you. Good thing Virgo able to carry you and found this place for us to rest."

"I-I see" Natsu replied to her.

Lucy then sat down beside him and asked. "So why are you here? I thought Master had told you to stay on his lecture for burning up almost the whole village with Gray and Erza. Did you escape from him? You just gave yourself another trouble you know."

Natsu's eyes widen a bit before looking away from her, not answering immediately. He then starts thinking something which made him realize what's going. Lucy looking on him sighs, no longer expecting he will answer because she knows he would never admit that he run off once again.

Natsu as finally realizing something looked back to her and asked, "Are you doing a mission alone?" his tone seems serious which made Lucy surprise a bit on the sudden tone and question.

She blushed a bit before nodding. "It was a job to take a rare mushroom so I think it was an easy job. I really need money for my rent this month so I went on the solo job for the first time."

Natsu looked at her in bit shock and yelled at her, "What do you think your thinking!? There is no such thing as easy job and much more the forest is dangerous! You should at least take someone with you and… ugh!" His head got hurt a bit which made Lucy stop on her scared expression and went to him.

She checks on his temperature and told him "You're still burning up, you need to rest Natsu."

"N-No" he protested "I'm fine, it was not a fever and I'm always hot due to my magic and my flaming travel cause it."

She thinking back asked him, "So are you are that meteor!?"

Natsu looked at her in question before realizing what she was talking about and laugh a bit. "Must be surprising, sorry for that."

"You almost hit me Natsu, what if you landed to me? What if I got burn all because of your magic?" She yelled and Natsu laugh at her.

"I told you I'm sorry, it's just I can't control my destination and I always ended up like that." Natsu told her which she found it questioning. She was about to ask him when he asked her. "You're on the job of acquiring a rare mushroom, right? Now tell me where we are and what kind of rare mushroom the client was looking for."

Lucy stops a bit on her tract before answering him, "It's rainbowic Mushroom that only grow here in Forest Morgana."

"So we should find the place where the rainbow landed and there we could find the mushroom we're looking for." Natsu said and slowly stood up but still losing balance as Lucy also stood up to help him. "Thanks" Natsu said to her.

Lucy sigh "Maybe we should rest. Once your better we can go ahead to find that mushroom." She told him in worried tone.

Natsu laugh at her and said "I'm fine now Lucy, beside we're almost there so let's just finish this mission and head back on the guild. I'm sure everyone are worried for you, doing a solo job was reckless."

"I'm not a child Natsu and don't forget, I'm a member of Fairy Tail and a magician. I'm not that weak more than you think." Lucy told him, bit irritated for being treated like a child.

"Whatever" Natsu said, not listening to her and then point at the river. "Do you see the flow of this river?" He asked and Lucy nod. "We just need to follow the water's destination and it will lead us to the place where the Rainbowic Mushroom was growing. The season seems spring so it was a really a good day to harvest some Rainbowic Mushroom. This year seems good too as I can smell the lovely scent of nature."

Lucy was surprised. The Rainbowic Mushroom was rare that until now, no one knows where they could harvest such rare mushroom, only they know it only grow here in Forest Morgana. Natsu seems to know something about the Mushroom as he let go from her hold and walked away. Lucy can't help but quickly take her things and follow him.

The two walked on the side river and not one Natsu removed his black clothing and come to think of it, something seems missing to Natsu.

"Natsu where's your scarf?" Lucy asked on wonder.

Natsu stop walking as she too stop, waiting for answer. He turned around and gave a smile, "I left it somewhere safe."

"Eh? But I thought it was very important to you that you never want it to let go." Lucy said in surprise.

Natsu for some reason gave a sad smile, like something happened that until now can't let go. "I made a promise and I left my scarf as the symbol of my promise. I had sacrificed something important to me to prove to them I will fulfill that promise."

Lucy was speechless. She doesn't understand what he was talking about. Sacrifice? Promise? To whom? Natsu knowing her confusion laugh to break the weird atmosphere that was forming around them.

"Come on Lucy, there was no need to think much about it." Natsu told her before walking away once again.

Lucy just stared at him for a bit before following him.

Both soon arrived on the end of the river which was a small cave. It was dark inside and the way in was too small that they need to dive in on the water to enter. Natsu check on things first before looking to Lucy.

"We need to dive in to enter. Do you still want to continue?" Natsu asked her.

Lucy nods determinedly "Of course I do, I had accepted a job so I will complete it."

Natsu smirk on her determination, "Good but be sure to be ready, the Rainbow Mushroom was being protected by a dangerous beast wolfs. Ready your keys anytime and any fight."

Lucy again was surprise on how Natsu seems to know things than she is. She just nod and put down her bag, putting it somewhere no one could see it and check her keys before getting ready. She looked back to Natsu and got embarrass, "N-Natsu… can you…"

"Sure" Natsu immediately said and head away. Lucy was again surprise, like Natsu knew what she wanted to tell him.

Later, Lucy was finish changing to her bikini so she can move better under water. She also put a belt on her waist for her keys and ties her hair. When she was done, she called out to Natsu who was on the other side where he was waiting.

"Thanks for the wait Natsu, shall we go?"

Natsu looked back and nod. Both again went back on the small cave.

"Aren't you going to take off that hood of yours Natsu?" Lucy asked in wonder.

Natsu smirk "Don't worry Lucy, I'm used to this… come on."

Natsu was the first one to jump on the water and Lucy followed up. Both were diving and saw the entrance ahead and the two dive in. On their way, Lucy seems having a hard time on the strong current but then Natsu went beside her and assists her as both swim in. Finally, they got inside and went out the water to have a breath. Lucy was surprise on what she had seen. The place was like a crystallize place, a beautiful place that not even once was mentioned to any books she had read.

Someone then tap her and Lucy looked on that person and it was Natsu. Natsu was smiling and pointing something and she followed. She was surprise when she saw a rare white tree and fireflies were flying around with it, like they were dancing around it. Lucy truly found it beautiful which made Natsu happy. Natsu then silently told her to go there and both did.

Both went out the water and Lucy kept staring at the fireflies flying around the white tree. Natsu from behind for some reason has an expression of sadness and pain, remembering something. Lucy turn around to say something to Natsu but disappeared when she saw how sad and seems in pain Natsu was.

"Natsu?" Lucy called out which made Natsu stop on what he was thinking. He looked to her and she asked "Are you alright?"

Natsu smiled on reassurance, "Y-yes, I'm fine Lucy… so, what do you think of this place?"

"It was beautiful, I never thought something like this exist." Lucy told him which made Natsu laugh.

"I know and… can you promise me that never tell this to anyone?" Natsu asked her which made her surprise. He continued, "This place is needed to be preserved. To tell the truth, if people know about this place, this wonderful place that you were seeing will soon disappear. So for the best for this place, this must remain unknown to anyone."

Lucy hearing that understands what he had meant. She nods on understanding, "I will Natsu."

Natsu smiled to her, "Then, shall we head on and take the Rainbowic Mushroom?" Lucy nod once again, agreeing to him.

Both soon went away as they go to find the mushroom. Natsu as he walks felt danger and quickly stops walking. He looked to Lucy and gave a sign of silence. Lucy nod, understanding him. He slowly walked as trying to ambush something and then run so quickly. Lucy slowly went to see where he had gone and surprise to her, there were large wolf beast in front of her and there were three. Natsu was standing above them, already defeated them.

"N-Natsu… d-did you…" Lucy can't speak. Those large wolves were one of the most dangerous monster that takes more than five mages to take one down but Natsu, only him defeated them, much more it was so quick and three of them.

Natsu jump down to look on Lucy, "Come on Lucy, we need to take the Rainbowic Mushroom before they woke up."

Lucy found it questioning, "You didn't killed them?"

Natsu gave a questioning look before laughing once again and told her "These wolves were protectors of this place. This place was their habitat of living and where they had grown. I can't just kill them, unless they went on the villager's community and made some problems."

Lucy was still amaze, unable to take away her gaze on the wolves and Natsu.

"Come on Lucy, we need to go." Natsu told her and walked away and Lucy followed him.

Both were walking until Natsu could see the thing they were looking for. He looked to Lucy and pointed the thing they were looking for. Lucy saw it and smiled as she had finally found the mushroom that she was looking for, what's more it was more than just one but there were three of them. The Rainbowic Mushroom as indeed on the name say, the color was like the color of the rainbow and more like a crystal than a food, that's why it was rare. Lucy quickly run and head to it. Natsu just smiled as they had achieved on finding it, that is when…

"LUCY!" Natsu shouted and Lucy turns around and saw a wolf was near to her and widely opened mouth, expecting to bite her.

She closed her eyes in fear and then she heard a familiar voice.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu shouted as he used her fire dragon magic and punched the wolf that was about to harm her. The wolf rolled away from them.

Lucy seeing that he had not only became bit strange but he also became more than powerful than the last time she had seen him.

Natsu turn around and grin to her, "Are you alright Lucy?"

Lucy smiled back and nod, "Thanks"

Natsu smiled as she took all three mushrooms. She stood up and went to him. Natsu then offered her small clothing for the mushroom and Lucy immediately accepted it. The mission was finish, it was time to return back on the client and give the Rainbowic Mushroom to her.

Soon, they had arrived back on the client and gave the mushroom to the client woman.

"Thank you so much on your hard work. Since you had taken three for me, you may take one as the bonus of your reward." The client woman told her as she gave the Rainbowic Mushroom to Lucy.

Lucy accepted it and thanks her. Natsu from behind was smiling, happy on her achievement. After taking the reward, both Lucy and Natsu went away, heading to the train station.

"I'm so happy that I had completed this mission without any problem at all! So you can do some jobs without making ruckus on the way Natsu." Lucy told to Natsu happily while he seems found it nostalgic for some reason.

"I guess those times when I'm doing those things." Natsu murmured.

Lucy looked at him in confusion, "Are you okay?"

Natsu again snap on what he was thinking and smiled, "Y-yeah, come on, we need to go before the train leaves."

Lucy was shock on what he had stated. "Natsu did something happened that made you like to ride on train? Didn't you hate transportation?"

Natsu frown "Of course I hate transportation but in order for us to return back as soon as possible, that can't be helped."

Lucy almost wanted to laugh but held back, knowing Natsu was already frustrated when he was thinking about transportation.

"Okay then, let's go! We should also start sharing this reward since we both completed it." Lucy said as she smiles to him.

"No need Lucy, you are the one who accepted the quest so it was your money. I only helped you to complete it." Natsu told her.

"I somehow knew you'll say that, well, come on Natsu" Lucy said as she run, heading to the train station.

Natsu just smiled and run with her. In his mind, there was only thing he was thinking, something he had dedicated to do.

I do not own Fairy Tail