AN:
I'm sorry I'm a bit late... I had every intention to head on here and finish this but I started to feel a little funny yesterday and laid down. BIG mistake on my part because I only just woke up an hour ago and I feel better yet also horrible because now I'm sporting a headache. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy a little bit more of an inside look of what you'll be reading. Remember to hit that follow button so you get notifications of updates. And before I forget I plan on temporarily posting AN's notifying you if and when I'm working on this and a rough estimate of when chapters will be posted try not to take the timings to heart though as they could end up changing.
Chirping that was the first thing he heard, his eyes cracked open, he squinted hiding his eyes from the bright morning sun, 'I'm glad you came back.' He remembered. Natsu's eyes jolted open as he sat upright looking around him for any sign of life. When he found none Natsu blinked slowly staring out at the water… Had he just imagined her?
Deciding he'd gotten a bit delusional from both his loneliness and lack of sleep he brushed of whatever the event that had happened last night as a hallucination. He was alone here. No one but him, his parents, and a select few townspeople knew of this place even existing. So, it was impossible! Right?
Natsu stood up tapping away the sticky golden sand that clung to his clothes and skin. His back ached more than usual causing him to curse at the fact that he'd fallen asleep outside. He twisted around a bit before stretching his arms high into the air, holding his breath till it gave off a soft stiffness relieving pop causing him to release the breath in a sigh. Natsu heard a slight shuffle of leaf's and spun around to see who the intruder was.
All he could register before he was enveloped within a hug was long white hair and the words 'I'm sorry' coming from the person holding onto him. Coming out of the bush he found his friends strutting towards him one by one. His eyes widened, "B-But how?" he stuttered completely surprised by there appearance.
Erza looked around curiously, "This place is nice." She complimented her eyes stuck on the tame sparkly waters.
~oooOOOooo~
Elsewhere, she leaned up against a rock watching the whole exchange with friends. The corners of her lips turned up into a small smile when she noticed a little life return to Natsu's eyes. Her arm coiled with a tightened against her chest, "I'm glad it worked." She muttered to herself.
"I'm glad you came back." She'd told his sleeping form, she stared down at his aged face for a moment longer captivated. He no longer looked like the cute little boy she'd always had a crush on instead a handsome young man had taken that boys place. With a light blush, her eyes shift around making sure no one was around before reaching her hand up genially touching his forehead to pull the scarf she'd made him long ago and his bangs back. Leaning down her blush intensified until her lips touched his forehead.
*BZZT*
Jumping when the device she'd come to know as a cell phone in the human world buzzed the name Mirajane flashing on the phone.
*BZZT*
Lucy debated on picking it up but decided against it.
*BZZT*
The phone gave off one last ring before stopping. Not long later it chimed reveling that he now had a message. Curiosity killed the cat she told herself as she grabbed the small device opening it and pressing the button to open his voicemail. "Natsu, please pick up the phone at least let us know you're okay." The voice known as Mirajane came from the phone's small speaker. She frowned at how upset the other woman sounded, "Natsu, I'm so sorry. I-I didn't know. If-If I had even an inkling that s-she was going to do that to you I-I would have never…!" she continued only to be cut off as soon as the voicemails recorder cut off.
Taking the phone from her ear she couldn't help but stare at the photo of Natsu and a girl with long white hair. A few others stood in the background watching as the two gave off challenging stares. Her deep brown eyes shifted, and she released a soft sad sigh deciding to meddle where she shouldn't. She began to text this girl giving her the location and sending her a photo of the house, so the girl would know what to look for.
"Sorry, but your friends can help you more then I'll ever be able to…" she mumbled closing his flip phone and placing it back down in the sand. She had to go… but she didn't want to. Standing up she walks away already missing him as she closed in on the sea.
She giggled as a red-haired girl and a boy with spiky black hair enveloped Natsu in a double headlock, both performing the noogie maneuver. When a big smile crossed his features, she felt like she'd accomplished her goal, "Welcome back Natsu." She whispered before dropping off the rock and into the water.
~oooOOOooo~
Everyone sat down within the small living room of the cozy little home, Natsu bowed his head, "Sorry guys, I didn't mean to scare you." He apologized. He was still confused about how they'd gotten here. I mean they had explained that he'd texted them both the location and a picture, but he didn't remember doing so…
"We're just glad you're alright!" Levy said from his cousin's lap, "You even had Gajeel worried! He even tried using his connections in the police force to try and find yo…" she continued until her blushing boyfriend clapped his hands over her mouth.
He meaninglessly glared at her, "No I wasn't." he hissed out to try and cover his embarrassment, Levy rolled her eyes at this. After she said no more for a few minutes he released her. Big mistake!
"He paced for hours!" she chirped before Gajeel hands clapped back over her mouth. His face beet red…
Natsu smiled sadly, "Sorry," he began drawing their attention back to him, "Won't leave without warning again, I promise." He vowed.
To this Erza huffed while attack a strawberry cake, "Better not!" she growled glaring at him.
Everyone but Erza sweatdropped, 'Where in the hell did the cake come from?' they all wondered.
The corners of Natsu's lips turned as he listened to the bickering of his friends that is until an argument cause his ears, "It was in his fridge get your own." Erza snapped at her boyfriend Jellal when he tried to steal a bite of her cake.
Natsu blinked, 'It was in my fridge?' he mentally repeated.
"See Natsu knows what's good for him he made sure to have a cake ready when I got her so I didn't strangle him to death for leaving without saying anything." Erza joke but there was also a hint of seriousness in her tone.
Wait, he didn't buy any cake yesterday! Natsu stood up in confusion, "Wait, you mean you didn't bring it?" he asked. Erza looked at him confused, fork still in her mouth as she shook her head.
Natsu looked troubled brown orbs flashing in his mind briefly, "What's the matter Natsu?" Erza asked.
It took a delayed moment before he reacted with a sigh as he rubbed at his face, "N-Nothing." He groaned. Feeling suspicious of the small home. Only he knew of this place's exact location now so how… How could anyone possibly have given them the address and brought in a cake without him knowing? 'I must have purchased it without realizing' he concluded, but then those eyes sat in the back of his mind lingering. Had he imagined that too?
~oooOOOooo~
"LUCY!" his thundering roar could be heard throughout the castle. It shook everyone to the core causing many to scatter running to hide behind various objects. Beside him as he sat on his kings' throne another much shorter man and a younger man with glasses waited patiently both jumping ever so slightly when the mans screeching voice echoed into their ears.
Lucy swam closer to them, "I'm coming." She sang dully twice as a means to further irritate her father.
Looking upon her the younger man with glasses jaw dropped, "I thought I told you to be here by noon dammit!" Her father shouted at her with a growl. Lucy rolled her eyes and mouthed as he continued, "You deliberately disobeyed me again!" she mimicked. Lucy knew she really made him mad when his brow twitched and his forehead turned an angry red while he ground his teeth as he spoke her name again, "Lucy!"
Lucy huffed stubbornly, "You're the one who wants all this. I don't! This is my life to live dad, not yours." She snapped back at him like a whip. Then she said something that really pissed him off, "If mom was here, she would never…"
Unready to deal with the mass of emotions still buried from losing his wife a few months prior he sent her away in anger for so much as bringing the woman up. Not that his daughter's presence itself wasn't enough to bring up Layla in of itself.
Lucy swam away happy that she managed to dodge yet another 'pairing'. How long will she be able to keep this up though she wondered… As much as she loved the sea, since her mother's passing, she had grown to loathe it so much. Which was why the majority of her time had been spent on the surface! Why was she even still coming down here she had to wonder, but her question answered itself as she found herself sitting before her mother's grave…
The sand beneath her squashed against the pink scales of her tail, "Hi mom, sorry I'm late today."