"Let's throw a party for Lu-chan, Master!" Levy exclaimed.
"Yh Master!! Let's throw a party!!" Natsu cheered.
"Ok, ok. We'll have the party at Balsam. Everyone okay with that?" Master asked,
"Aye!!" They all shouted.
All of them left to either the girls dormitory or the boys or went home, to pack for the trip. Lucy followed Natsu to his hut.
"Hey Luce, where do you get your clothes from?" Natsu asked once they got to his hut, "You always seem to have a pair."
"Plue brings them from the celestial spirit world." Lucy said taking out Plue's key.
"Open the Gate of the Canis Minor! Nikora!" Lucy shouted. With a familiar ring of bells and a flash of light Plue showed up.
"Plue, do you think you can ask Aquarius to pack me some clothes for a two day trip?" Lucy asked, crouching to the height of the little dog.
"Pun! Puun!" Plue said and disappeared.
While she was waiting for Plue to return with her suitcase, she helped Natsu pack his belongings.
"Natsu, why don't we find you a real house when we get back?" Lucy suggested, folding his shirts.
"How will I watch over my hoard if I leave it here?" Natsu questioned looking for his toothbrush.
"You can put it in the house! It'll be better than sleeping on the ground. What'll you do when the egg hatches?" She asked, starting to fold his pants.
"That's true, I guess.." He mumbled.
"You'll help me look for a house and find stuff to put in there before you move to the girl dorms, first right?" He questioned squinting his eyes at her a bit.
"Of course! I'll help my best friend with anything!" Lucy giggled. Natsu smiled his toothy grin and finally found his toothbrush.
After packing Natsu's suitcase, Plue came back with Lucy's. Seeing as their suitcases were packed and everything, they began to play, to excited to sleep. They played until it was very late and fell asleep cuddled up to each other and the egg.
The next day
"Natsu come on!" Lucy squealed.
Today was the day they were all going to Balsam for a small celebration for Lucy. Lucy was very excited seeing as she hadn't spent much time with people other than Plue, since her mother died.
"Am comin'! Am comin'!" Natsu shouted walking out the hut.
Lucy grabbed his free hand and dragged him to the guild. When she realized nobody was there she got worried.
"Natsu, did the others leave without us?" Lucy asked, already on the verge of tears her ears flattened and her tailed faltered.
Natsu squeezed Lucy's hand for reassurance and gave her a small smile.
"They wouldn't leave without the main person!" Natsu said with his usual toothy grin. Lucy smiled at him before a familiar voice called out to them.
"Come on, guys! Everyone's already at the train station." Lisanna said running over to them.
"Come on!!" Natsu said, pulling Lucy and his suitcase with him.
"Hey!! Wait up!!" Lisanna shouted following after them.
When they got to the train station, they were all panting for air, having to run all the way there.
"Took you long enough!" Erza shouted at Natsu.
Lucy immediately stood in front of Natsu with her arms spread out, as if protecting him.
"Don't yell at him Erza-chan! I'm the one that made Natsu stay up with me." Lucy said on the verge of tears. Her ears flattened in sadness.
"It's all my fault, don't shout at Natsu." She said lowering her head and clenching her dress, her tears already falling.
"Erza! You made Luce cry!" Natsu said hugging Lucy.
"I'm sorry, Lucy!! I didn't know!! It not your fault!! I won't shout at Natsu!!" Erza said frantically.
Lucy looked up from Natsu and hugged Erza. "Thank you." Lucy mumbled.
"The trains here!" Master yelled and everyone climbed onto the train.
"Are you ok, Natsu!? You're all green!!" Lucy shouted worriedly,
"I'm fine." Natsu grumbled holding his stomach.
"Slanty eyes here, gets motion sickness on any tranportation he goes on." Gray snickered from across Lucy.
"Maybe this'll help." Lucy said pulling Natsu's head into her lap. Natsu blushed furiously and turned his face to her stomach. He buried his face into her stomach, wrapped his arms around her waist and his tail wrapped around her wrist.
'Luce's smell is so soothing.' Natsu thought.
Lucy began running her fingers through his hair and rubbed his scalp a little. She sang a small song, all the guild members quieted down and listened to her sing. She soon stopped singing but began humming the song. Everyone still stayed quiet to listen.
One by one everyone fell asleep. Natsu being the first. But even though he was asleep, his hold on Lucy never faltered. 'Thank you, Luce.' Natsu thought in his sleep.
~~~Le TimeSkip~~~ Brought to you by Natsu throwing up out a window
"Do you think Natsu likes me, Gray?" Lisanna asked. Ever since Lucy came, Natsu hasn't been spending time with her like he used to. It's even worse that they live together.
"I'm sure Flame brain, doesn't even know what a girl is." Gray snickered a bit.
"Then why does he act like that around Lucy? He never slept with me or stayed that close to me or play with me as much as he does with Lucy. If it isn't a crush then what is it?" Lisanna pouted. Her ears and tail flat down at the thought of Natsu not liking her.
"Well, if he likes her, I'll get a girlfriend before he could get one." Gray said. His competitive side - against Natsu - kicking in.
Little did they know, Natsu was awake and was listening in on their conversation. We'll see about that Elsa. Natsu thought. His grip around Lucy's waist - and wrist - got tighter and he buried his face more into her stomach.
Soon he was, once again, lulled into sleep by Lucy's sweet scent.
"Natsu wake up." Lucy whispered shaking his shoulders lightly.
"Natsu please, wake up." Lucy tried again.
"5 more minutes..." Natsu mumbled, gripping her tighter and burying his face further in her stomach, causing her to giggle.
"If you don't wake up, the train will start again." She whispered in his ear.
Natsu shot up out his seat and grapped his and Lucy's luggage, along with Lucy, and ran out the booth and off the train.
"You better be grateful to Lu-chan, Natsu. If she hadn't volunteered to wake you up, Erza would have done it." Levy giggled walking by Lucy's side.
"Luce is my best friend! I'll always be grateful for her!" Natsu defended, sticking his tongue out at Levy.
"Don't stick your tongue out at Levy-chan, Natsu." Lucy scolded, waving a finger in front of Natsu's face.
Natsu pouted, his tail and ears flattened, before mumbling an Okay and I'm sorry. Levy giggled at the two. Her tail swished with amusement.
The whole guild continued walking, on their way to the inn they were staying at. Natsu and Gray got into occasional fights - stopped by Erza, most of the males in the guild - including Master - ended up checking out some females as they passed by and they also passed some book stores that Levy and Lucy were both excited about.
When they finally arrived at the inn, Master Makarov registered them. The children shared a room and the adults were separated by gender.
~~~Le TimeSkip~~~ Brought to you by Natsu and Gray fighting
"Lu-chan, wanna wash each other's backs?" Levy asked and picked up a washcloth.
The girls and older females all went to take a bath while the boys and the older males went off doing what they wanted.
"Sure!" Lucy smiled. She jumped out the water and sat at one of the small stools, turning her back to Levy.
"How do you like being with us so far?" Lisanna asked.
"You're all really fun! I'm so glad Natsu brought me here." Her tail swished happily remembering how, even when they had just met, they were already best friends.
"I never heard why you decided to join, in the first place." Cana said thoughtfully.
"My mommy and daddy were in a guild before I was born. So I wanted to join a guild of my own." Lucy smiled.
"Most of the children's parents have already passed, which is something how they ended up at the guild." Mickey noted. "Have your parents already passed?"
Though it was a touchy subject, the adults and the other children who were at the guild - that Lucy wasn't able to completely meet -
were undoubtedly curious about the child's history and parents. Though whatever it was that Lucy was going through, they'd be by het side no matter what.
"My mommy's in the sky, watching over me as a star, and my daddy hates me." Lucy murmured. Her bangs covered her eyes as she looked down, fighting the need to cry. Her ears and tail flattened down.
"It's ok, Lucy! We'll always be by your side, as your new family if you'd like." Enno smiled at the young blonde. The other females in the bath with them agreed wholeheartedly with this small arrangement they seemed to have made for themselves.
"Thank you everyone but please don't worry about me. We are here to party, aren't we?" Lucy smiled. But even though she said that she wanted nothing more than to have Natsu hold her. He always calmed her down, which is why she likes it better when he's near her.
~~~Le TimeSkip~~~ Brought to you by Erza and Evergreen awkwardly falling into the hot spring
After bathing in the hot springs the girls got dressed and went to the boys for lunch. When they arrived the boys were already stuffing their faces with whatever they got their hands on.
"Luce! Come try this sushi!!" Natsu shouted across the room, to get her attention.
Lucy smiled and joined him, sitting at his side. "This is good!!" Lucy squealed in delight. Her tail swished in happiness.
"You look good in that dress too. You really like pink." Natsu grinned a small blush covering his cheeks, and the tips on his ears and tail.
Lucy also blushed at his random compliment before a small smile graced her lips. "Arigato Natsu!" She smiled, her tail swished happily. Natsu grinned back at her, his tail swishing happily also.
Suddenly, mash potatoes connected with the side of Natsu's face. He turned to Gray who was innocently looking away. Lucy sweat dropped, realizing they were gonna start fighting.
"You stupid ice princess!! You coulda hit Luce!!" Natsu shouted, his tail turned to fire as he was obviously angry at the ice neko.
"But I didn't idiot flame brain!! I was aiming for you anyway!!" Gray shouted back his hail turning blue like ice.
"Come on. Let's get out of here." Lisanna sighed grabbing Lucy's hand. Erza and Levy followed, all of them making way outside.
"Aren't you going to stop them Erza-san?" Lucy asked.
"I need rest sometimes too." Erza sighed tiredly.
Lucy giggled at that. She's been with them long enough to know that Natsu and Gray has been fighting and arguing since they met each other. Erza probably had to stop all their fights.
"Let's play ball!!" Lisanna suggested happily. Her tail pulled a blue ball out of nowhere. They all agreed happily and stood in a square formation.
Lisanna passed the ball to Erza, Erza passed the ball to Levy, Levy passed the ball to Lucy and Lucy passes the ball back to Lisanna. It went like that for a while until Erza accidentally threw the ball to far, causing it to bounce into a forest.
"I'll get it!" Lucy smiled. She turned around and ran into the forest and after the ball.
She found the ball in a thorn bush and reached for it. Her arms got cut by the thorns but she ignored it to get the ball. After finally retrieving the ball Lucy smiled.
"Minna! I found it!!" Lucy smiled. She turned around but was met by the darkness the forest provided. She realized that she must have gone to far into the forest and her ears and tail flattens in sadness and fear. Tears slid down her cheeks.
"Mama.. Papa.."
With the girls
"Lu-chan's been gone for thirty minutes. Is she ok?" Levy said worryingly.
"I didn't think, I'd have thrown it that hard." Erza said feeling guilty.
"It's not your fault Erza. Let's get one of the older members before we get lost ourselves." Lisanna said and they rushed inside.
When they got back, the boys were in robs, while the adults had bits of food on them. Natsu and Gray were on either sides of the room stuck in a glaring contest. Thankfully they had a food fight and didn't inflict any pain onto the other.
"Enno-san!! Mikey-san!!" Levy shouted running up to the two older women. "Lu-chan went into the forest to get our ball, and she hasn't come out yet!" Levy broke down into a fit of sobs after her statement.
"For how long?" Mikey asked picking up the crying solid scrip neko.
"Forty minutes now." Erza said sadly.
"It's not your fault Erza. We'll find Lucy." Lisanna said with a small smile holding the requip neko's shoulder.
"Lucy-chan's lost!?!" The members started panicking. Fearing for anything that could happen to the young star neko.
Natsu suddenly got up and ran out the room. "Natsu, where are you going?! Get back here right now!! We can't have you getting lost too!!" Master shouted.
"I have to get to Luce, Master!" Natsu shouted back without turning around.
Natsu ran as fast as he could through the forest foliage. The last thing he wanted to was for Lucy to get hurt or worse. The thought of something worse happening to the star neko got Natsu's legs moving faster.
He got Lucy's scent but he got another, mixed with her's, that he didn't like — blood. "Does that mean Luce is bleeding? Did she get cut?" He questioned himself running in the direction of the scent.
Finally he heard small sobs, indicating that the young star was close. He ran to a nearby bush and spread it apart slowly. Right there, in front of him, was the young star neko sitting with her knees to her chest, her arms wrapped around herself, sobbing.
"Luce.." Natsu said softly. She looked up hesitantly and more tears fell when she saw Natsu.
"Natsu.." Lucy whimpered out. She opened her arms and, much like an infant, she opened and closed her hands showing she wanted him to hold her.
Easily understanding what she wants, he sprinted to her. He enveloped her in a big hug that she reciprocated. She clung to the back of Natsu's robe like a lifeline as her sobs increased in volume.
"I was so scared.." She hiccuped.
"Don't worry. I'm here now." Natsu whispered to her.
She buried herself further into him and he held her tighter. Soon enough, Lucy's sobs ceased and soft snores followed. Natsu could tell that she was asleep.
He moved back and picked her up, swinging her around so she can be on his back and rest her head on his shoulder. He got up and sniffed the air. He followed the scent of the inn to get back.
He couldn't get the sight of Lucy out of his head though and it made him sick to the stomach. Her arms had cuts, her knees and elbows had bruises and her whole body was covered with dirt. And the worst of all her usual smiling face was replaced with sadness amd fear. He didn't like it one bit.
"I promise to keep you happy and safe, Luce." He said to himself. That was a promise he didn't realize would mean a lot in the future but kept to it now.
