A/N: Pleasantly surprised to see people still reading this when I updated last chapter! Thanks for sticking around! I'm not sure I can do justice to my original intentions when I started the story years ago, but I hope it's at least passable! We're starting to near the end, slowly but surely.

Not much plot movement this chapter, but that won't last long, so enjoy the peace while it lasts!


A peek of sunlight shone on Natsu's eyes, waking him. His eyes squinted open.

He was in his house. There was a gap in the roof through which he could see blue skies; he'd have to get that patched.

He sat up straight. It was afternoon. He was in his home. His wounds were tended to. But last he remembered, Lucy was casting Urano Metria. He was pretty sure it had defeated Kyouka? If he was in his own bed, that was proof enough. That is, if it wasn't all a dream.

Footsteps approached the bedroom. When Natsu turned to meet Lucy's eyes, she lit up in a smile.

"Natsu! You're awake!" She rushed over to his side with the glass of water she held in her hand. "Are you all right? Here, drink this." Natsu took it gratefully, and downed the whole thing in one gulp. "Wendy said you just needed sleep to replenish your energy, but I was still worried. Is your body okay?"

Natsu stretched out his arms, testing them. Not even a hint of soreness. "All good," he said, grinning.

Lucy let out a sigh of relief. "Thank the gods. Don't scare me like that!"

"Hey, it was your spell. And I knew what I was getting into."

"Sorry about that, by the way," Lucy said. "It's good that you figured out what I was planning, but I wish you could've found a way out first. Or even if we could've defeated them by some other method."

"Don't sweat it," Natsu said. "Dragons are strong, but even they're tiny compared to the stars."

"I'm just glad the stars were enough for those demons. After seeing even you and Mira struggling to defeat them…"

"Seilah was annoying, but we could've beaten her just fine. It was Kyouka who was the real pain."

"Literally," Lucy said, and Natsu snorted when he realized his accidental pun.

"They're over with now. Is Erza okay?"

"Yup, she's fine. Same as ever. She was out of it for a bit, but everyone worked really hard to cheer her up, and she was back to normal in no time."

"That's good. I hate seeing her look weak. It doesn't suit her."

"Everyone's weak sometimes."

"Being voluntarily vulnerable and being worn out by PTSD-triggering torture are two very different kinds of weak."

"True. I guess we shouldn't quibble over semantics."

Natsu had no idea what "quibble" or "semantics" meant, but he felt like he got the drift anyway. "It might be a little late to ask this," he said, "but I assume Happy's with Charle? I see his vest is gone, so he must've come back here to get it first."

"Yup. You just missed him, actually. He was holding a bedside vigil until you woke up, but I told him to take a break and relax a bit."

"How long have I been out?"

Lucy laughed. "Was wondering when you'd ask. About a day. You had everyone worried. I felt so awful."

He reached to caress her fingers. "Don't. You saved everyone. And I'm a dragon slayer; I can take a hit."

She frowned and leaned down to look closely in his face. "About that, are you sure you're okay? You should rest more."

"Nah, I'm done resting." He pecked her on the lips and jumped up to stretch. "See? It's like I had a long nap, that's all."

"But your injuries—"

"Don't even feel 'em."

Lucy sighed and smiled, giving up. "All right. You should go see everyone at the guild to let them know you're up and about. Happy should be there, too."

He grabbed her hand. "Then hurry up, let's go! Can't let him worry much longer!"


The dull roar of people talking preceded the guild, and as they rounded the corner and the guild came into view, the volume suddenly increased as they were greeted with the sight of probably hundreds of people all crammed into Fairy Tail Square. The guild building had been hastily rebuilt, a rough imitation of its former self but still looking fairly complete, with an open door showing the bar in full operation inside. Crowds milled about carrying all sorts of construction supplies, everyone helping everyone else with the united mission of rebuilding Magnolia.

Levy seemed to be their main source of new material, writing the word for lumber over and over again for other mages to chop into proper beams. Gajeel, meanwhile, was crafting thousands of nails and screws. Mages and non-mages alike came and went carrying the supplies to construction sites around town, like a large and efficient human factory.

Behind all this, Erza was arguing with Mira over whether she should be allowed to help or continue resting, with poor Wendy trying to act as a mediator.

"Yo!" Natsu said loudly, announcing his presence. Activity paused for a moment.

"Natsu!" Mira exclaimed, forgetting all about Erza and running over. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I just had a good, long nap," Natsu said, grinning. "How's rebuilding going? I see the guild is almost finished."

"We may have to pause it for the day soon," Mira said. "We don't want anyone to get magic deprivation sickness."

Levy and Gajeel certainly looked worse for the wear, sweat dripping everywhere. Had they been doing this all day? And Levy had held that huge barrier yesterday, too, which must've taken a ton of magical energy. How were they still going?

"You too, Natsu. I'm glad to see you're okay, but you can rest some more. We've got it all covered here."

"Aww, come on, I just got here!"

Lucy's hand touched his arm. "Just listen to Mira. Let's find Happy and then go home. You deserve a break after everything you did yesterday. Let's just relax and hang out. I'll stay with you, too."

He pouted. "All right. Where are the exceeds?"

Mira pointed them into the guild. "They should be at the bar...wait, where did Erza go? I thought I left her right th— Wendy!"

"I couldn't stop her!" Wendy cried. "I'm sorry, Mira!"

"It's fine. You stay there and keep resting; I'll go find her. Lucy, you keep Natsu in line."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Mira muttered, "I swear, this guild doesn't know how to take care of their own damn bodies. Stupid, reckless…" She stalked off in the direction Erza had left, fuming.

They spent the rest of the day relaxing at Natsu's cabin, steering far clear of Mirajane's hovering tendencies. And it was just as well, because despite physically feeling all better, Natsu couldn't keep his eyes open much longer. Magic didn't take a lot of time to recover, but it did take a lot of energy. A day was usually long enough to recover, but given what they'd just gone through, taking another night to rest wasn't a bad idea.

They spent the next day fishing, a pastime Natsu hadn't gotten to do much of lately, what with the whole "saving the world from demons" thing. Lucy expressed surprise at his deep love for it, noting that he usually liked to be much more active.

"I like my quiet moments, too," Natsu said.

"I'm surprised you have the patience for it, though."

"I don't," Natsu deadpanned. "When I actually try to catch fish, I usually end up jumping in and grabbing them myself."

Lucy barked a loud laugh that echoed from the trees. "Of course you do."

"Happy gets mad at me," Natsu said with a grin.

"That's right I do," Happy chimed in. "Fishing is supposed to be a battle of wits between you and the fish. If you just jump in and grab them like that, where's the fun in it? It's all about the thrill of the hunt!"

Natsu pointed a finger. "You and I have very different ideas of what a thrilling hunt looks like, buddy," he said.

"Poor Happy," Lucy said, hiding a giggle behind her hand.

"Hey, I usually leave the actual fish-catching to him, unless I get a bite first. I just…get hungry sometimes, that's all."

"Patience, Natsu," Happy said, closing his eyes sagely.

"I'm never patient. It's one of my many virtues."

"You mean vices," Lucy said.

"I said what I meant," Natsu said.

Lucy laughed. She stretched out and lay back in the grass, hands high above her head. "This is nice," she said. "Relaxing like this. We haven't had a day off this whole time. No strategy meetings, nothing. Just hanging out."

"It won't last for long," Natsu said. "Mira said she sensed something from me right before you did your Urano Metria thing. That's the last thing I remember hearing before I fainted. I'll bet the only reason she's not storming in here is because of Erza and them. Once they're all better, I'm next."

What is END? What does it mean that I have END within me? What will it to do my body when it awakens? What if something happens when Mira runs tests? What if this is the last full day I spend as myself?

Lucy flicked his forehead. "Don't think about that now," she said. "We'll work that out together when the time comes. For now, just enjoy our day off now that our magic is recovered."

Natsu couldn't completely purge such thoughts from his mind, but he was always good at distracting himself. They had roasted fish for dinner, and Happy produced the ingredients for s'mores for dessert, apparently pilfered from Levy's stash.

"She won't notice," he promised. "Not for a long time, anyway."

"If she gets mad, you're taking full responsibility, got it?" Natsu said.

"She won't. She's not in the mood for chocolate these days anyway," Happy said.

Natsu gave him a funny look. "And how do you know that?"

"Pantherlily told me," Happy said without even looking up. "Even if she did get mad, I have secrets on her I can use as blackmail."

"That's not very nice, Happy," Lucy said.

"She's the one who wants stuff secret."

Lucy sighed. "True."

"I have no idea what you two are talking about," Natsu said.

Lucy patted his shoulder. "For now, it's for the best."

"I'll find out eventually. There are no secrets in Fairy Tail."

Lucy laughed at that. "True. I know all sorts of stuff about Cana I never even wanted to know. The girls around here sure love to gossip and share what's usually private info."

"The boys aren't much better," Natsu said.

"Knowing Loki fit in as a regular guildmate around here, I'm not surprised."

"Oh gods, Loki," Natsu said. "He was the worst. When he and Gray teamed up, I couldn't catch a break. I don't know how they find out everything they do, but like I said, there are no secrets in Fairy Tail."

Lucy glanced back at the cabin. "It's nice you have your own place all the way out here, though. It's far, but the privacy must be nice."

Natsu glanced around at the surroundings of the place he called home. The forest here was peaceful. Even now after the sun had set, the darkness had a friendly feeling. Cozy and protective, but not suffocating. It was a little haven. He really did have luck finding this place out here and being able to use it as his own without anyone opposing his residency.

"It does come in handy," Natsu said. "I'm never around much anyway, but when I am, I can escape here if I need space from that nosy bunch."

"You say that as if you're not one of the rowdiest of them all."

"I'm rowdy, but I mind my own business."

Lucy nodded. "That's true. You wouldn't notice things anyway. You're kind of the oblivious type."

"Hey!"

"It's not a bad thing, just an observation," Lucy said, smiling. She picked up Natsu's hand and kissed the back of it. "It's kind of cute."

He flushed. Oh, they were flirting now? That was unexpected. He wasn't anticipating her saying something like that when Happy was around to listen.

Or, wait. It was just the two of them. When did that happen?

At some point Happy had disappeared. He'd probably go complain to Charle about being a third wheel. Natsu would have to thank him for being considerate and giving him and Lucy the night alone. But that was a thought for later. Right now, Lucy's lips were on his and it was doing strange things to his heart.

"Should we go somewhere more comfortable?" Natsu said, very aware of the fact that they were sitting on the dirt outside the cabin. It was already almost dark.

"Inside, you mean?"

Lucy's eyes from up close were unfairly pretty.

"All I have is the hammock, though," Natsu said.

"Good enough."

They made their way upstairs, getting a little bit bolder with their kissing as they went. This was all new, and kind of clumsy, but it felt really nice. Even though he knew exactly why, Natsu still found himself wondering why he hadn't done this with anyone before. He'd been missing out.

But of course, it was only this nice because it was Lucy. Lucy, whose scent and warmth and strength were all here in his arms, filling his senses, like she was the only thing in the world that mattered.

The hammock rocked when they sat on it, sending them both into laughter as they lost their balance, holding onto each other for support as if that would help at all when both of them were falling sideways.

"I don't know how you sleep in this," Lucy said. "I'd be tempted to swing around all the time instead of sleeping."

"Who's to say I don't do both?" Natsu replied.

Lucy pecked his lips. "Genius."

"You know what would be even more genius?"

"What?"

"You kissing me again."

"Then I must be the smartest girl in the world," Lucy said, smirking against his lips, "because I'm way ahead of you."

The feeling of her skin under his fingertips was addicting. He needed more of this intimacy, more of this touch that made him feel more connected to her than he had with anyone. But when his fingers trailed under her shirt, she stopped him.

"How far are we going, exactly?" she asked.

Natsu met her eyes. "Want to stop?"

"I thought you weren't interested in this kind of thing."

"I'm not, usually," he said. "But it's you, so…" I want to try. Because who knows when we'll get another chance to fool around like this? "I want you," he added. Frustratingly enough, he'd wanted her for a long time now. The unfamiliar feelings confused him, but he knew what they were. He was attracted to Lucy, in a way he never was with anybody else.

She reached up to touch his face, her fingers brushing his cheek. "Thank you. I—" She averted her gaze, blushing. "...me too."

That was all he needed to hear. He pressed his lips back to hers with a new urgency. Clumsy as he was with these unfamiliar feelings, he trusted her. She would be the first to have his body for her own; not any demon inside of him, her.

But as they continued exploring each other's bodies, he was becoming increasingly aware that this was uncharted territory. He'd never even kissed anyone before Lucy, and now…

"You sure you're okay?" Lucy mumbled, lips on his neck and hands on his stomach. "You feel tense."

"I…uh…"

She pulled back to look in his eyes. "Should we stop?" she asked.

Natsu flushed beet red. He didn't know how to answer that. It's not that he wanted to stop, but his insides felt shaky and anxious. And right after he said it was okay, too. This was embarrassing. He wanted to so badly, but...

Sighing, Lucy flopped down beside him, cuddling up to his side. "This is enough," she said.

"But what if we don't get another—"

"Natsu. If you're about to say we might not get another chance, I will be very cross with you. I refuse to accept that as a reason to rush into things we're not ready for. I don't plan to die out there, and neither should you."

"I don't," he said, starting to feel a little better already.

Lucy settled more comfortably in his arms. "Besides," she said, "it's not like I can't live without getting some dick. Give me a little more credit than that."

It took a moment for her words to settle in Natsu's brain before he burst out laughing.

"W-what?" Lucy said, embarrassed.

"Princess Lucy Heartfilia just said, 'getting some dick,'" Natsu said, howling with laughter. "Fairy Tail must really be rubbing off on you. So not lady-like."

"Shut up, I'm not a princess right now," Lucy mumbled, pressing her face into Natsu's chest.

"Nope, now you're the Celestial Spirit, Lucy of Fairy Tail."

"You got that right," Lucy said, planting a kiss where her head rested on his chest and then trailing more kisses up to his lips.

"Ngg, shut up," Natsu groaned.

"I didn't say anything," Lucy said, giggling.

"You tease," he accused.

"Just say the word and I'll stop."

"Not yet." He flipped them over so he was on top, sending Lucy into another round of delighted giggling as the hammock rocked. "Two can play this game."

He peppered her cheeks with kisses as her hands roamed his torso and tangled themselves in his hair. Sweetly, almost innocently, they kissed as if playing, until Natsu felt like his cheeks would burst from all this damn smiling he was doing.

And when they settled into a comfortable embrace, he hardly dared to open his eyes and be struck by her beauty all over again. So, just like that, he drifted off to sleep with the most beautiful woman in the world held securely in his arms. He was happy.


A/N: That last scene has been written since forever. I'm never quite satisfied with how I write these kinds of scenes, but it'll have to do. It was kind of a personally important scene for me to write at the time, and besides, it provides a good setup for what happens next...