A/N. Sorry about the timing again… I was in NYC! ... For my grandpa's funeral… so again I hope you'll forgive me. Please let me know what you think, I really appreciate it! (Also if you have any ideas of what you'd like to see let me know! I've been thinking of changing the rating to more of an M rating but if you like it as is I won't change it at all. Personally I don't think that stories need M ratings to be good, but again I'd like your input.)

Chapter 8

Natsu was walking along the shambles of what remained of his ship's main deck. He sighed as he yanked his vest off his shoulders and slowly pulled his arms through it. He walked over to where Gajeel was working, bending steel bars and trying to repair the railing and deck. Gajeel's hand was in the form of a hammer, trying to salvage the wood from the deck that had scattered all over the ship. Levy was next to him, casting solid script magic making wood and steel for the repairs.

"What are we looking at, Gajeel?" Natsu asked, in a matter-of-fact like tone.

Gajeel stopped what he was doing and crooked his neck so that he could look behind. He carefully and thoughtfully stood and faced Natsu with a stern look; his posture suggested he was irritated. Gajeel crossed his arms slowly, but Natsu stood his ground—matching Gajeel's stern face with his own.

"Do you have a problem, Mr. Redfox?" Natsu asked.

Gajeel just stood there and flexed his muscles, arms folded.

"No… unless you count the fact that this ship is in shambles and barely staying afloat! The women's quarters have been completely destroyed and the ship is being held together by a glorified ice sculpture! Does any of that sound like a problem?"

Natsu just continued to stare sternly; the outburst did not faze him at all. Instead, he simply walked toward the hatch leading to the lower decks, allowing Gajeel to stand there in his fury.

"Mr. Redfox, I think you'll understand that I don't deal with attitudes like that on my ship. If you're not going to be helpful and kind to those here… there will be consequences. I'm going below deck to talk to Gray. By the time I come back up here, your attitude had better be changed—or you'll be confined below deck for the remainder of the trip." When the last word escaped his mouth, Natsu flashed Gajeel a serious look; it was a glare full of malice and history that instantly sent shivers to its target.

Gajeel loosened his arms and unfolded them. He sighed and scratched the back of his head, ruffling his long, black curly locks that he had tied back in a ponytail. He closed his eyes and then faced heavenward.

"Sorry, Natsu" Gajeel sincerely apologized. "I just tend to get all riled up when the girls get into danger. It scares me and I suppose I took it out on you… I'm sorry."

Natsu nodded at him understandingly.

"Speaking of which, how is Levy making out?"

"She's making out just fine. I already checked her out and gave her a once over. "

Natsu smiled mischievously.

"Yeah I bet she's making out just fine! OHHHHHH!"

Natsu quickly rushed down below the deck.

Gajeel's face flushed red as he threw some remaining splinters of wood in Natsu's direction.

"YOU ASSHOLE! GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN!" He shouted

The profanities and protests still came at him as Natsu was stepping off the ladder down below decks. He walked up to Gray, who was still using his ice magic to create a makeshift wall between the ship and the water outside. It was hauntingly beautiful; the ice looked like glass; glass so clear that you could look into the sea. The light leaking through the ice gave the inside of the hold a romantic kind of feeling. Gray's magic was beautiful, arguably the most beautiful in Fairy Tail—with Juvia's not far behind.

Maybe that's one of the reasons they're so perfect for each other.

Natsu finished this thought as he walked up to Gray—who was just finished with his work.

"So, Gray, what are we looking at here?"

Gray turned to face Natsu with a pained face.

"… Is Lucy okay? I saw the railing shatter right before I went below deck."

Natsu shifted his weight and looked Gray over. Gray was standing before him, emotionally distressed and sweating profusely—which was weird, because Gray rarely sweated unless they were sailing close to Tenrou Island.

"She's fine, Gray… I told you that I would protect her at the cost of my own life if needed, and I protected her just like I said I would."

Gray nodded somberly.

"I knew you would, it's just having her back in my life… brings up old instincts… and feelings."

Gray glared at the ground.

Suddenly it dawned on Natsu, whose face was mixed with anger and disgust.

"Y…You're still in love with Lucy?"

Gray grimaced at Natsu's voice.

"Of course I'm not! It's just…"

Gray paused for a moment and looked at Natsu while he placed a hand on the cold ice that was acting as a temporary replacement for the wall.

"You know how I must feel, right? Like what happened with Liss…" Gray cut off when he saw Natsu's face. His expression gave Gray the impression that he shouldn't continue the sentence.

Gray took a moment to evaluate what he was going to say next.

"Even though you've moved on… those special people you once knew still have a piece of your heart. It's not intentional, it's instinct. People don't just walk out of your life and you never have feelings about them again. I love Juvia… there's no doubt about that. I'm definitely going to marry her. However, Lucy was a big part of my life for a long time. Don't worry, I'm leaving her alone but please just re-affirm that you'll protect her no matter what."

Gray turned slightly to make eye contact with Natsu hoping that his feelings would be made clear to him.

The Captain looked him up and down and finally shook his head and sighed.

"Yes, Gray… I can understand exactly how you feel."

Natsu clutched at his chest.

"Nothing like what happened to… her…will happen to Lucy…"

Natsu couldn't bring himself to say her name so Gray waited and stood in silence for a moment until Natsu spoke again.

"Well, Gray, I think I better go talk to Gajeel again. If he's simmered down by now he should be able to tell me how long we've been delayed. I also need to know whether or not we can still make it to Tenrou Island, without having to stop somewhere for repairs."

Gray nodded and placed a hand on the ice he had created.

"For what it's worth, I can keep this ice frozen for about two weeks before it starts to make me tired."

Natsu looked at him one last time before going back above deck.

"Thanks for that, Gray. Also, for what it's worth, I think you two should keep your distance. I wouldn't want to be on Juvia's bad side…"

They both thought about Juvia when she was angry; their faces grew dark causing them to both shuddered in fear.

"Yeah, you're probably right, Natsu. Not only would she kill me, but she'd skin Lucy alive…"

They parted and had one of their telepathic conversations (that only best friends can have) where they agreed never to speak of this ever again.


Lucy stood in the Captain's cabin, looking out the door that Natsu had left open for her. She wandered up to the threshold and studied it intensely. The wood looked worn and was dented in many places. Along the bottom of the door were cat scratches she assumed came from Happy wanting in and out of the room. She ran her fingers along the outside of the door to see bits of shrapnel embedded into the wood; some of them were fresh and others looked much older.

Looks like Natsu has been living this kind of dangerous life for a long time—yet he's still so young…maybe twenty five at the most? He didn't even hesitate to save me or his crew. He truly has nerves of steel and courage that could rival any of the head Royal Guards. Even Silver…

The more Lucy thought about Natsu's history, the more and more it intrigued her; she realized that she knew nothing about the man who had earned her trust. Here she had poured out most of her life's secrets to Natsu, but ultimately knew nothing about him at all. She pulled her attention away from his door and looked toward the hatch, only to observe the Captain rising from its depths. He looked in a state; his hands tousled his hair as he walked over to the man called Gajeel. They were only talking for a moment when Gray started to emerge as well and joined in their conversation. Seeing him caused a feeling of dread and foreboding to surge through her stomach and then spread throughout her body—ironically, like ice. She clenched her blouse and started to walk backwards when she ran into something warm that gave out a cry of shock. Lucy turned to see Levy standing exactly behind her. They looked at each other for a moment before they both chuckled at their own behavior.

"Hey, Lucy, what are you doing?" Levy asked, with a grin.

"I'm just wandering about the ship I suppose. I have no skills with repair or anything of the like… so I suppose I'm just trying to stay out of the way." Lucy replied, sheepishly.

Hearing this, Levy smiled widely.

"You and me both—all I'm good for is providing the raw materials; they seem to be good there at least for the moment."

Levy looked over to where the men had gathered. They were taking apart her solid script for repairs.

"It won't last forever, you know." Levy said, fleetingly.

Lucy looked back to Levy, who was studying the pile of raw materials that her solid script magic had helped make; the pile was growing smaller and smaller.

Levy sighed.

"It really is true—no magic lasts forever. All it will do is get us home or to the closest port—where we'll have to do all this hard work all over again. Still, it beats sinking to the bottom of the sea. Unfortunately, below deck won't be able to be repaired at all until we get home, or to a port where we can bring the ship up on a beach."

Levy sighed once more and tilted her head; the situation clearly troubled her. However, she only looked that way for a moment before she started to smile at her again.

"Anyway, I came over here to invite you to the crow's nest with Wendy, Mirajane, and myself. During times like these we like to sit up there and watch the men… work."

Levy gave a knowing grin and wink.

Lucy smiled back at her, a little shocked at her invitation. She thought that Levy didn't seem like the kind of girl that would enjoy that kind of thing.

"Yeah, I'll come with you. Sounds like it could be a lot of fun."

Levy grabbed Lucy's arm and rushed off with her toward the mast that lead up to the crow's nest. Levy stepped aside to allow Lucy to climb the mast first. When she reached the top, she met the gazes of two beautiful females. One, a young lady in her early twenties, and the other seemed like she was fourteen or so. They were both sitting on small stools which allowed them to gaze over the railing of the crow's nest with ease. They had their head in their hands with their elbows on the railing. The older of the two was one of the most beautiful women that Lucy had ever seen. She had beautiful white hair and blue eyes with her bangs tied into a pony tail to keep her hair out of her face. Lucy had seen this woman earlier that day when Natsu introduced her to his crew, but she didn't get a close up look to see that she was this beautiful.

Suddenly, Lucy remembered that there was a large man there who shared her features.

They're probably siblings then… twins maybe? They seem like they're about the same age.

The other girl had beautiful royal blue hair and brown eyes. She had bangs that caressed her eyebrows and had pulled her hair into high pigtails that gave her the appearance of having ears or horns of some sort. Lucy smiled; she thought the younger girl was simply adorable.

They both smiled at Lucy when the older of the two spoke up.

"Hello, Lucy, I'm sorry that I didn't introduce myself earlier. However, given the circumstances, I hope you'll forgive me. My name is Mirajane Strauss."

Mirajane gave Lucy a genuine smile as Lucy made her way into the crow's nest and found a stool of her own to sit on. Mirajane then looked over to the other girl and gave her an encouraging look. The young girl started to panic, and then jumped from her stool and bowed her head towards Lucy, banging her head against the mast in the process.

"Ouch! Sorry, miss! My name is Wendy Marvel—pleased to meet you!" She squeaked out while she rubbed her forehead.

Lucy chuckled to herself and scooted over to allow Levy some room to sit as well. The crow's nest was large, but was beginning to feel a bit crowded with the four girls there.

"Pleased to meet you all as well; I haven't had many friends in my life, so I'll be counting on you to show me how it works." Lucy said.

Levy clapped her hands and then rubbed them together.

"Now that the introductions are finished, I'd like to start today's activities! Ladies! Who shall we ogle first?"

Mirajane raised her hand eagerly.

"My vote is Gajeel. Right now, he's straining his muscles and working hard…the sweat dripping off him is amazing…" Mirajane trailed off while she was leaning over the edge of the railing.

Levy and Wendy smiled and nodded as they also peered over the edge. Lucy then took her turn and looked over the edge as well. Levy pointed to the dark haired man with the pony tail, confirming which man Gajeel was.

Mirajane was right.

Gajeel was working shirtless, and you could see the piercings that he had all over his body. His sweat was dripping down his back, causing it to glisten in the setting sun. Lucy watched him for a moment, but then her eyes were drawn to Gray; he was standing in his boxers and boots hammering wood into the shattered railing—trying to repair it. He wiped the sweat off his brow with his forearm, causing sweat to drop from his body down to (and staining) the deck. The sight made Lucy look away; it pained her to see him in any way—but this was particularly painful.

Levy noticed Lucy's reaction and sat up.

"Lucy, you okay?" she asked, putting her hand on Lucy's shoulders.

Levy looked down to see Lucy's hands shaking and then looked down at the men. Lucy looked at Gray again and retracted her gaze instantly. Levy followed her every move and then realized that it was Gray that was causing her distress. Levy smiled and patted her arm as she leaned over the edge again.

"YO, GRAY!" Levy shouted and waved to get his attention.

Lucy's face went red as she jumped from her stool and crouched down so that Gray couldn't see her.

"What's up, Levy?!" He shouted back at her.

"You're in the way of us ogling the hot guys on deck! Get your butt out of the way!"

Gray looked up at her dumbfounded. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words would come out. He looked around at the other men on deck, looking for some kind of sign of what he should do.

Natsu and the others shrugged at him.

Gray simply dropped his hammer and went below deck without saying a word.

Mirajane and Wendy both groaned in displeasure.

"THANK YOU!" Levy smiled as she waved goodbye to Gray.

Lucy stood slowly and returned to her stool and sat back down. Levy watched her affectionately and leaned in so she could whisper into her ear.

"I'm sorry; I didn't realize this would upset you. Had I known I wouldn't have asked…"

Lucy just shrugged it off.

"It's okay, it's not your problem and I could have said no. So don't worry about it."

The two girls nodded and chuckled at each other, while they returned to their activities. There were several men that were working on the deck and Levy was pointing them out one by one, telling Lucy their names.

There was Elfman Strauss (Lucy was right, Mirajane and him were siblings after all), Gajeel Redfox (he was the man who kept giving her dirty looks), Mest Gryder, Jet and Droy (they apparently had been with Levy the longest in the guild), and Natsu.

They were all spectacular in their own rights. They worked harder than anybody she'd met at the palace. This way of life was so different and yet she felt like it was more precious than all the jewels in the royal treasury. She'd already fallen in love with it; the freedom, sun, and the unyielding smiles that greeted her. Lucy felt as though she could never return to her previous life, but she knew that she had to return to save her kingdom. Her people needed her; the road was going to be a long and treacherous one, but she could make it with the right help. While she was thinking about all of this, she couldn't help but land her gaze on Natsu.

By this point, the sun had started to touch the sea on the horizon; the sun was doing its best to make the men glisten. Natsu was sanding down the new railings that they had spent most of the day making, while leaning over the railing to make sure that he was sanding with the grain of the wood. His shoulder muscles were bulging with the force of strength that he was putting into his long strokes. About an hour ago he had given up on his vest and it was now sitting beside him. Lucy had watched him most of the day, unable to stop her mind from asking every question that it could think of. Natsu was like an expensive mystery to her, considering that she had given him all her money in her effort to run away.

Lucy sighed as she stretched and stood up; the girls had been up there all day munching on snacks, drinking, and talking about the men aboard the ship—and which ones they preferred. It was obvious that Levy had a preference to Gajeel, but as for Wendy and Mirajane… she couldn't tell.

At last, Levy spoke up.

"Well, girls, I suppose it's time to retire… but our rooms have been destroyed, so we're going to sleep in the forecastle after we empty it out of supplies. Lucy, I know that you've been staying in Natsu's cabin, but you're welcome to join us if he starts to annoy you or… if he gets a little out of your control."

She winked

Lucy rolled her eyes at her new friend and started to walk down the crow's nest instead of responding to Levy's suggestive comment. When she made it to the bottom of the mast, she stopped to stretch and yawn. As she was doing so, the other girls made it down and walked towards the hull of the ship, where the doors lead to the forecastle. Lucy stayed behind to walk around and get the stiffness out of her neck and legs; sitting crouched like that most of the day in a cramped area made her really stiff and sore.

Lucy bent to touch her toes to stretch out her back, and on her way back up, she started to feel light headed.

She staggered backward and fell against the main mast. She tried to steady herself against it, reaching out for something to grab. Fortunately, something grabbed onto her first. A strong hand grabbed onto her arm and pulled her back up onto her feet. The hand moved from her arm on to her shoulders, continuing to steady her until the dizziness passed.

"Lucy, you okay?'

Lucy lifted her head to see Natsu's concerned face an inch away from hers. The close proximity stunned her and rendered her motionless. Lucy froze where she was as Natsu continued to try to speak to her.

"Lucy…? Well um… I guess I'll just take you to the cabin then… sure…"


Natsu picked up Lucy in his arms and cradled her slim figure against his chest, her slender arms wrapped around his neck. He looked around to make sure that everyone was taken care of before taking her to his room. Natsu looked down at Lucy, who was groaning painfully in his arms. He sighed heavily while he hobbled to the cabin. After working all day, all he wanted to do was take a bath and go to sleep. But, he did promise Gray he would take care of her.

She's a lot lighter than I expected…

Natsu looked at her facial expressions and saw that she was distressed and pale. She looked nauseated and was probably still dizzy.

Natsu's strong nose also picked up the scent of alcohol.

Aaaaaaand drunk apparently.

Lovely.

The Captain rolled his eyes and marched over to his cabin. Luckily, his cabin door was left open so he didn't have to fumble for his keys while he was walking with her through the doorway. Natsu laid her down on the cot gently. After letting Lucy go, he crossed his arms and studied her as she lay on the cot.

Maybe she's not all bad… she's interesting at least.

Natsu smiled and shook his head.

I guess I'll draw a bath; I might as well clean up while she's out.

Natsu left her there to sleep off her drunken stupor and headed off to the wash room.


Lucy was forcefully trying to make herself open her eyes. She dizzily looked around at her surroundings.

Am I back in the cabin?

Lucy propped herself up on one of her arms. In the time that she had been unconscious, the sun had set; she could tell by the windows in the back of the room where the curtains had been drawn. Lucy couldn't see anybody in the room, but someone obviously brought her in here. She tried to remember who it was. She remembered trying not to pass out by the mast outside, and then… somebody picked her up? Yeah…yeah somebody picked her up; she definitely remembered being carried.

But who was it who picked her up?

Was it Gray?

Or one of the girls?

Or was it…

"Natsu?"