Lucy
Another two weeks had passed by, the long summer days beginning and ending and then beginning again, each the same as the one before it.
She thought her routines were keeping her sane, but failed to realise how monotonous her weeks were becoming, how lately it felt like she was just going through the motions while waiting for something to happen.
Six weeks without any word from Natsu and the team, without any hint as to what Phantom Lord was up to and not knowing whether or not she was safe inside the town.
Whether she wanted to admit it or not, the stress and anxiety was getting to her. She put on a smile every morning when she left the house, and wore it like armour until she returned home at night, hiding her anxiousness so as not to worry those around her. She felt like she was breaking, and she felt broken for feeling that way.
Lucy sighed as she sat up in bed. She was not ready for the day to begin, having spent the night tossing and turning with dreams full of darkness and fear.
The nightmares had started slowly at first, just as a once off every week or so after the incident with Phantom Lord, then began happening more as the weeks passed by. The last two weeks had seen their frequency triple, and she was struggling, more than she wanted to admit.
She'd quickly settled into a state of denial; the trauma from being taken against her will, being assaulted, and the terrifying experience she'd had with the ghosts of the mist, slowly chipping away at her mental health over time, but she didn't understand why.
In the first couple of weeks after she'd returned to Fairy Tail, she'd been fine. Her anxiety hadn't shown itself while she was in the hands of Jose, nor when she was running for her life. It had spiked while she'd been wandering in the mist and was tormented by the ghosts, but once she was back inside the safety of the town, it had disappeared again.
She wondered if she could have been in shock for that long, because it seemed that lately, the harder she tried to ignore her anxiety, the worse it got. Her fear that Phantom Lord was still lurking somewhere close, waiting for an opportunity to snatch her again, that her father would attempt to get to her some other way, steadily simmering away inside her.
Instead of dealing with it, she'd filled her days and kept herself busy, trying hard to forget both her worries over Natsu and his team, seemingly missing-in-action, and the nightmares and fears that plagued her. She didn't see much point in dwelling on either for too long, especially when she only struggled with them at night, when she found herself alone in the darkness.
She didn't exactly dread going to sleep, but she didn't look forward to it after a hard day anymore, either. By now, she was used to the terrifying dreams and the constant overthinking, though that didn't make them any more bearable. Sleep no longer brought her the relief she needed and she didn't often wake feeling well rested enough to start the day. She was exhausted.
Every day she woke up and told herself that things would improve. So, she did just that, and pushed the lingering worries to the back of her mind, then took a deep breath and stood to begin her morning routine.
On her way to the kitchen, she stopped by the hen houses to collect their eggs. The sun wasn't quite peaking above the horizon to light the skies, the world coloured in the strange shades of grey found between night and day, the twilight that was neither light nor dark.
She was on the breakfast shift, so had to be up before the sun to help prepare for the first meal of the day, and always volunteered to collect the eggs on her way in. There was something calming and methodical about it; slipping quietly into the roosts while the hens softly clucked, familiar with her presence. Neither had any intention to hurt the other, and the chickens simply existed as they were, leaving her with no reason to question her trust in them.
People, on the other hand, did not have the same effect on her. Lately, she found herself hesitating to trust others, especially people she hadn't met before, and strangers newly arrived to the town. She'd learnt to keep her distance, that not everyone deserved her trust, that not everyone was good, something she thought she should have already realised, given what she'd been through.
Though, that didn't apply to anyone in her friend group, and for that she was thankful. She felt at home with them, protected and loved by the people she did trust.
Lucy took her time in the chicken coop, gently sliding her hands beneath the hens to gather their eggs, talking softly to them as she did; it was one of the most calming parts of her day, and something she enjoyed doing every morning before she headed over to the busy kitchen and was swept into a whirlwind of activity under Mira's reign.
Working the breakfast shift was another of her favourite tasks, but for different reasons; the flurry of activity as people prepared food and rushed around, always filled her with energy, boosting her mood and setting her up for the rest of her day.
This particular morning, as she walked into the dining hall, she paused before she even reached the kitchen. Normally she'd be able to hear the clanging and banging of pots and pans, people talking and Mira giving orders. But, the kitchen was silent and she pushed through the swinging doors, confused by the lack of activity.
She set her basket of eggs down, frowning, as everyone stopped what they were doing and immediately scattered as though she'd walked in on a scene she wasn't meant to be in.
"Everything okay, Mira?" Lucy asked, worriedly.
Mira smiled, "Lucy, good morning. Everything's fine. We were just planning what to serve for breakfast now that most of the summer fruit is in."
Mira had been quietly observing Lucy over the previous weeks and had noticed subtle changes in her friend; the anxiousness that had started to creep back in. After what she'd been through, Mira would have been more surprised had Lucy not suffered any trauma, but she'd watched as her friend had pushed it down and tried to ignore it, keeping it a secret. Mira was perceptive like that.
Lucy slowly nodded and returned Mira's smile as she went to wash her hands, needing to be busy. Something felt off, but she chalked it up to her anxiety. Her mind was a dangerous thing when she let it wander.
She couldn't shake the feeling that there actually was something wrong, though, and that feeling followed her around for the entire day as she struggled to fight it off. It didn't matter what techniques she tried to use to calm herself down, because none of them worked.
Unable to get rid of the feeling that something was being kept from her, she went about her tasks and lessons, distracted, part of her mind focussed elsewhere. Capricorn had very little luck with keeping her attention on their self defence session, and settled instead for quiet meditation, hoping it would help. He watched as she closed her eyes and tried to relax, the expressions on her face constantly changing, her inner turmoil reflected there, and eventually asked if she was okay.
Her eyes had sprung open as she chewed her lip, contemplating, before she replied, "I thought I was, but this feeling just keeps getting worse…"
She'd never seriously admitted her anxiety to anyone else before; the closest she'd come was when she'd thought about getting help on the morning of the cherry blossom festival, but that was months ago and the anxiety had settled after Natsu had returned, so she never did anything about it.
"Are you anxious?" Capricorn gently asked her, a curious tilt to his head.
"I guess. I just feel… Unsettled inside. For weeks now. Ever since Phantom Lord..." her voice dropped to a whisper as she looked down, embarrassed.
She'd been through so much, and she felt like she should be able to handle it all alone, like she was broken if she was struggling with the weight of it.
"Lucy," Capricorn's soft voice brought her back to the present, "it's okay to struggle with your mental health."
She sighed, "nobody else seems to struggle with theirs."
"Nobody else has been through what you have."
Shaking her head slowly, she said, "no, but everyone goes through their own things, and this doesn't happen to them," she was getting frustrated, struggling to explain how inept she felt.
Capricorn hummed thoughtfully, before saying, "how many people have you told about this?"
Lucy frowned, "no one, really."
"Everyone struggles, Lucy, even if you don't see it," he raised an eyebrow, staring intently at her as he made his point, "after what Phantom Lord did to you, it's not surprising that it left you with some trauma. I think you should talk to Grandeney, she may be able to help."
She only sighed and nodded, agreeing to go see Grandeney when she had a moment to spare, before closing her eyes and letting silence fall as she tried to meditate once more.
- : -
At the end of the day, Lucy went for her usual nightly bath, and found Levy waiting for her at the end of the passageway when she was done.
She froze for a moment when she saw her friend, dread sitting heavily in her stomach. Everything about the day she'd had and the odd behaviour of those around her, had only caused her anxiety to grow.
"Levy?" She asked softly, forcing her feet to carry her forward, clutching tightly to her belongings.
Levy smiled at her, "there's something you need to see, Lu."
Lucy frowned, "good or bad?"
"It's not bad, I promise."
Silently, they walked through the rocky passages and climbed the sets of stone stairways, making their way back up to the dining hall, which was dark when they entered.
Levy walked over to a set of switches set into one of the wooden pillars that supported the beams above their heads, her smile still in place.
Confused, Lucy watched her friend, wondering what she was missing, "there's nothing here… what did you want to show me in here?" She asked hesitantly.
Being alone in the dark wasn't what she considered a good time, especially not lately, considering the things her mind conjured in the darkness.
The moment she finished her sentence, Levy flipped the switch and the lights turned on, and she was shocked enough to take a step backwards as people popped up from behind tables, all of them crying, "surprise!"
"Happy birthday, Lucy!" Quickly followed.
She dropped her belongings, her hands lifting to cover her mouth, genuinely surprised.
She stared at the crowd before her, the sound of her heart beating rapidly in her ears as she took it all in.
The room had been decorated with colourful, handmade banners, and on top of the bar, stood a tall cake, surrounded by plates of fruit, sweet foods, and jugs that contained brightly coloured drinks.
Everyone was grinning at her, waiting for her to say something. She dropped her hands, pressing them tightly against her chest, willing her beating heart to calm, as her mouth opened and closed while she tried to form words, speechless.
"How did you know?" She asked, after a long moment, in awe that so many people were there to celebrate her.
Grandeney beamed at her, moving forward from the crowd to stand beside her, "I'd never forget your birthday, Lucy."
After so many years alone, so many years without any recognition of her birthday, Lucy had learnt not to expect anything from anyone. Once her mother had died, her birthdays had gone ignored or been forgotten, and the loneliness had only served as a reminder that the one person who truly loved her, in her entire world, was gone forever. So, she hadn't expected any kind of celebration, she hadn't even given the date much thought at all.
The realisation dawned on her that she'd felt like something was off all day because everyone was keeping a secret from her; a surprise birthday party, something she'd never see coming. For the first time in two weeks, she was able to relax.
Grandeney rubbed her back and guided her forward, towards all of her friends, as Lucy ignored the tears pricking at the corners of her eyes and grinned, suddenly filled with more happiness than she knew what to do with.
There was only one thing missing; Team Natsu still hadn't returned but, for the moment, she pushed that thought aside, determined to enjoy the party that her friends had gone to great lengths to organise and hide from her.
She moved around the room, happily chatting to everyone, thanking them all, still in shock that an entire party had been set up just for her. She never would have imagined that anyone would do such a thing, just to celebrate her birthday, a day she barely even recognised anymore.
Mira guided her to a spot behind the bar and lit the candles on the cake, the room erupting into song, Happy Birthday echoing down the stone halls, as she beamed at all of her new family, all of the people she never knew she'd love as much as she did.
She closed her eyes and made her wish, then blew out the candles to a round of cheering and applause, the crowd moving forward to pass plates of cake around, making sure everyone had a piece.
Lucy had never tasted anything so amazing, and she savoured every last bite of the strawberry cake, thinking about how much she wished Erza was there to share in it, knowing exactly how the redhead felt about her favourite fruit.
Levy joined her behind the bar, nudging her gently in the ribs with a sly smile, "so, what did you wish for?"
Blushing, Lucy choked on her cake, and spluttered, "what? Nothing!"
"Right," Levy knowingly replied with a laugh, handing her a full cup to wash the cake down with.
Lucy hurriedly drank from it, the fruity punch pairing excellently with the rich cake, and avoided her friend's gaze, trying to buy enough time for Levy to drop the topic of conversation.
Levy wasn't the only one who had guessed what Lucy had wished for. Half the people in the room knew before she'd even made the wish, and each of them watched her with their own knowing smile.
Everyone there knew that Lucy had wished for safety; for her own, and for Natsu's, for his safe return back to her side, and for the safe return of his team. It hadn't gone unnoticed that she was having a difficult time, burdened under the weight of all that had happened.
Leaving the Estate and escaping her father, being kidnapped and assaulted by Jose Porla and Phantom Lord, and having no other option but to walk into the mist, and then being tormented by the ghosts inside of it, barely making it out alive, were all sitting heavily upon her shoulders. Then there was the fact that Natsu had been hurt trying to protect her, would have run into the mist, without a second thought, to find her, had the others not stopped him, and now he'd been gone for six weeks, hunting down her captor, right after she'd only just found him again. She'd never forgive herself if anything happened to him or the rest of his team.
While Lucy, and most of those around her, had no idea of the gravity of the situation, across the room, Capricorn, Sagittarius, Grandeney, Mira, and Makarov, stood watching her as she talked with her friends. The five of them were deep in conversation about the changes they'd observed in her over the previous two months. On the outside, those changes were subtle and she'd been doing well at hiding them from her friends, but the five of them had noticed.
Lucy was special, but the majority of people at Fairy Tail didn't quite know just how special she was, what she could do if she had to. The incident with the ghosts in the mist had only confirmed what the five of them had already suspected, and they'd been watching her since she'd arrived. Standing together, they discussed whether or not it was time to intervene, or if they should leave things be. Things were only going to get harder for Lucy, and she'd need their help sooner, rather than later, by the looks of things.
"She's struggling," Capricorn sighed, "we can all see it."
Sagittarius frowned, "she's tougher than she looks, you of all people should know that."
"Yes, but are we to wait until she's walked too far down that path, to bring her back?" He narrowed his eyes at his fellow zodiac.
"Now, now," Makarov said quietly, four pairs of eyes turning down towards him, "we won't let it come to that, but it is important to see how resilient she is before we do step in."
"But Master..." Mira began, before trailing off.
Grandeney unfolded her arms, lifting her gaze to watch Lucy, "he's right, she'll need to be resilient to get through what's ahead."
Makarov nodded, also turning his gaze back to Lucy, "see if she'll open up to you, Grandeney, relieve some of that pressure. Don't tell her anything she doesn't need to know yet," he finished, clasping his hands behind his back and wandering away.
Capricorn sighed again, glanced at the other three, and nodded.
The group dispersed.
Natsu
When Natsu had tumbled through the doorway, he'd picked himself up, unable to say anything about the scene before them, simply staring in shock.
Behind him, the others had the same reaction, the eerie silence stretching out before them. Somewhere in the room, a pipe leaked; the dripping of water falling in time with the seconds that passed as they tried to understand what had happened there.
A lantern sat in one corner, casting a warm glow over the cold scene. On the floor lay more than one body; a whole group of people had been executed, not unlike the pile of bodies they'd found in the field. Their lives forfeit and their eyes dull and lifeless, their crimes having caught up with them.
Natsu moved forward, nudging a familiar body with his foot, roughly turning it over as he squinted at it in the low lighting.
"Jose Porla," he said through gritted teeth.
He simply stared down at the man; he'd been robbed of his revenge, and he wanted to know why. He could feel the ripples of anger growing inside him.
Gildarts stepped between the bodies, looking at their faces, then checking their pockets for any belongings.
"All Phantom Lord," he sighed, perplexed.
Gray folded his arms over his chest, leaning back against the rough wooden wall, "that's good though, right? Saves us the trouble."
"No. It means this is a lot bigger than we realised," Erza said, giving him a sharp look, putting two and two together, "this is the second lot of dead Phantom Lord members we've come across."
"Someone wanted these guys dead too? Why?" Natsu asked nobody in particular as he dug through pockets, looking for any sort of clue that might've been left behind.
"Because Lucy got away?" Gray asked, joining the search.
Gildarts paused, his brows knitting together as he thought out loud, "no, that's not enough of a reason to kill them all, unless Lucy's father just likes killin' people when they screw up."
"Wouldn't put it past him," Natsu muttered to himself, though he knew the older man was right.
"There's somebody else at the top of this," Erza said, pacing, not particularly interested in searching the pockets of dead men, "somebody else that's higher up than Jude Heartfilia."
Natsu looked up at her, "Jude was going to trade Lucy to Porla, in exchange for connections and power. What kind of connections did Phantom Lord have that he wanted?"
"The kind that obviously didn't approve of being used that way," Gray replied, moving on to the next body.
Gildarts had decided that it was best if he remained silent once Erza deduced that someone else was behind the whole situation. He knew more than he wanted the other three to figure out before they returned to Fairy Tail.
As they continued searching, Team Natsu discussing the situation and trying to figure out what exactly was going on, somewhere beyond the other end of the small room, a noise drew their attention. The thunk of something solid against metal.
All four of them paused and glanced worriedly at each other, hoping they weren't about to be caught in a room full of bodies, rooting through the dead men's belongings.
Of course, that was exactly what happened. In the dim light, authorities from the town piled into the room, lanterns held high and shouting at them to step back and raise their hands, the situation becoming quite chaotic as the four of them scrambled back against the wall, trying to explain their presence while being yelled at.
"Stop talking and put your hands behind your head," the leader snarled, stepping forward, a wooden bat held tightly in one hand.
Natsu took a step towards him, intending to explain once and for all, and was quickly crippled with a blow to the stomach that had him doubled over and struggling to breathe.
They were swiftly taken into custody and marched through the dank tunnels, lantern light bouncing off the slimey walls, back up into the town and locked away inside a call.
Annoyed at being so roughly manhandled, Natsu yelled at their captors and lashed out at the iron bars that prevented them from going anywhere, earning himself another sharp jab with a bat.
Killing people was illegal in most towns, and came with harsh penalties. More often than not, that meant being put to death if you were found guilty of murder. Though each city had their own ways of coming to that verdict.
Dark towns, however, didn't have the same laws; they were dangerous places full of the kind of people who didn't care enough to follow laws, people who did what they wanted, whether that involved murder or not. It wasn't often that those kinds of people were found inside light towns causing trouble, but it still came as no surprise that that was now how they were being treated, having been discovered in a room full of dead people.
"We're from Fairy Tail, and we didn't murder anyone," Natsu glared at the group of men talking amongst themselves across the room.
He went ignored, and sighed in frustration, as he took to pacing in front of the bars, sending death stares at the men instead.
Gildarts leaned against the wall, his brow furrowed and his arms crossed, staring out through the bars, waiting to see what would happen next.
Erza and Gray both sat on the floor, their backs to the wall as they watched Natsu pace.
After a long moment of silence, Erza quietly said, "we've been framed."
Natsu turned to stare at her, hoping she was wrong.
- : -
Hours later, after darkness had fallen, the leader of the group came to them. He leaned against the bars, looking smug, his bat in hand.
"Why'd you do it?" He asked idly, as though he didn't particularly care.
Natsu opened his mouth as he jumped to his feet, but Gildarts held up a hand, silencing the pinkette. Natsu slid back down the wall, scowling, and crossed his arms.
"We didn't do it," Gildarts said, politely.
"Look, why don't you just tell me the truth," the man replied, in the same tone. Evidently, he was playing the role of good cop.
In disbelief, Natsu went to stand again, but was promptly pulled back down to the floor by a glaring Erza, her expression warning him to stay put and keep his mouth shut.
Gildarts smiled, "that is the truth. We didn't kill them."
"But you had plans to. You don't think we know what goes on in our own town?"
"We had plans to interrogate them while inside the town, nothing more. We just wanted to find out why they came to our village and forcibly took one of our citizens against her will."
"So your interrogation didn't go south? Is that what you're trying to tell me?" The man raised a sceptical eyebrow, pinning Gildarts with a look that said he didn't believe him one bit.
Gildarts rocked up and down on the balls of his feet, studying the man, "there was no interrogation. We walked in to find them already lying on the floor, dead."
"Funny, that's what they all say," the man turned to leave, before looking back at Gildarts and adding, "hopefully by the time I come back, your story will have changed. I look forward to speaking with you again, Gildarts Clive."
Gildarts watched him go, narrowing his eyes as he did.
"What the hell was that?" Natsu growled, Erza finally allowing him to get to his feet.
"Something strange is going on here," Gray drawled from the floor where he still sat.
Gildarts slowly shook his head, "you're damn right there is. If I had to guess, I'd say whoever put an end to Phantom Lord, is also filling the town's pockets."
Erza sighed, "they know who we are and where we're from, but insist that we committed a murder in which we had no hand. Somebody doesn't want us figuring out what is really going on."
"So, what do we do now?" Natsu asked, clearly hoping for some kind of destructive escape.
"We figure out how the hell to get out of here."
- : -
Two days passed, the four of them still locked inside the cell. Every day, the same man came to interrogate them, clearly just waiting for them to slip up and admit they were guilty of murder.
On the fourth day, he appeared again. He was agitated as he paced back and forth before the cell, his bat gripped tightly in his white-knuckled hand and glaring daggers at them as they watched him, bored with his routine.
"Just admit it," he spat with anger.
Gildarts raised an eyebrow as he watched, not bothering to reply.
Natsu tipped his head back against the wall, frustrated, almost wishing they would confess, even though they hadn't committed the crime, just for something to do.
After a ridiculously long amount of time, another man appeared and nodded to his friend, before saying something so quietly they didn't think anybody else could hear it.
Natsu, however, immediately perked up, the other three watching him.
The men outside the cell disappeared, though he knew they'd return quickly.
"Things are about to get interesting," Natsu grinned, stretching, "they're moving us somewhere. Pretend to drink the water."
The two men returned, bearing four canteens. They tossed them through the bars, and stood back to watch.
"You'll want to drink now, we have a bit of a journey ahead of us," the leader said quietly.
Gildarts narrowed his eyes, but pretended to drink with the rest of Team Natsu, then asked, "where exactly are we going?"
The leader exhaled sharply through his nose, finding the question amusing, "that's none of your concern. You just drink your water, we don't want you to get dehydrated now," he said with a greasy smirk, before disappearing once again.
The moment he'd disappeared from sight, the four of them each tipped their water through the bars of the uncovered window, set high into the back wall of the cell.
They arranged themselves on the floor, leaning lazily against the wall, waiting for their captors to return.
When the man did come back, he brought with him eight others, two for each prisoner. They hefted them up and dragged them through the building, then down into the belly of the town, beneath the platforms, through the hidden passages.
Natsu purposely did what he could to slow them down, letting his feet get caught on pipes running across the floor and hooking them onto corners as they tramped through the dark. It wasn't much, but it satisfied his urge to fight back, and he knew it made it difficult for the man hauling him along.
When they finally made it down to the ground, they found a covered cart awaiting them, pulled by a pair of bull-like creatures, their horns curling away from their heads as they snorted and stamped their hooves, uneasy in the silence of the dark, swampy grove.
Natsu almost gagged as they were piled into the cart and dragged into positions that ensured they'd all fit, their belongings shoved in behind them. He wasn't sure what that cart had carried before, but he'd wager whatever it was had been long dead.
Combined with the damp, stale smell of the swamp, the scent of rotting vegetation, he almost found himself wishing he was still locked inside the cell where the air was clean and no insects buzzed around him.
None of them had bothered to pretend to be completely unconscious, instead rolling their eyes and acting as though they'd been sedated to the point that they could hardly move. Their guards had let them be once the cart was moving, preferring to walk alongside it, rather than trapped within.
They listened as the men talked amongst themselves, going over details of their plan, which ended up being helpful to the team.
After a long while, a name mentioned caught Natsu's attention and he frowned, lifting his head slightly as he looked at Gildarts for an answer. The older man had his eyes closed, avoiding his gaze, but Natsu could tell he was concentrating, the muscles in his jaw tensing.
The name hadn't seemed to bother Gray and Erza, so Natsu dropped his head and tried to figure out where he'd heard it before, why he even knew it in the first place.
Acnologia, that's not a name you forget, he idly thought to himself, I've heard it somewhere…
As he tried to work it out, the sounds of animals and insects outside slowly rose in volume as the day faded into night, the four of them waiting for a chance to make their escape. They didn't know how long the sedative was supposed to last, and they didn't want to be put in the position of having to take more, in case they couldn't fake doing so.
When the bumping of the cart being pulled over rough ground finally slowed to a stop, and the men's voices around them became suspicious of something they'd spotted up ahead, the team readied themselves, hoping to make a clean getaway without having to fight anyone for their freedom.
Footsteps hurried away from them, the sound of weapons being drawn as they ran up the path ahead. Erza subtly peeked out the back of the wagon and motioned the others to follow her.
Two men had been left to guard them, both standing up front near the bulls, their hands on their weapons at their hips, ready in case they were needed.
One by one, Team Natsu grabbed their bags and slipped quietly out of the cart, disappearing into the darkness.
Natsu grinned as he broke into a run, happy to be free and to have enough space to use some of the pent up energy he'd been unable to get rid of during their time in captivity.
The croaking of frogs and the chirping of crickets serenaded them as they moved through the dark, their footsteps muted by the soft ground beneath them. Cicadas sang, and swarms of bugs buzzed around them, shadows swaying with the gentle breeze that moved the branches overhead, and the smell of the swamp almost smelled good.
The moon was low in the sky, and nowhere near full, but he'd never needed the light of the moon to see his path at night, and the others followed his lead. He used the stars to navigate, thankful for all those times he'd learnt about the constellations with Lucy and Layla, back at the Estate. His thoughts turned to Lucy and a warm sensation filled his chest, ecstatic at the thought of seeing her after so long away.
They ran through the night, hoping to put enough distance between themselves and their captors, intending to be long gone by the time morning came to light the skies, and their tracks in the mud.
When the sun finally rose, the four of them stopped to catch their breath, leaning against the trunks of trees as they pulled food and water from their bags. They were still in the swamps, the world around them cold and wet and buzzing with insects as always.
As he reached into the pocket of his bag, Natsu's fingers brushed against something cold and metallic, and he frowned, pulling it out. Confused, he turned the small object over in his hands, wondering how it had gotten there, when he'd left it at the stall in the town.
The golden star glinted in the morning light, it's braided cord white as snow. He avoided touching that part, not wanting his grimy fingers to stain it with dirt.
He held it up and asked, "did any of you put this in my bag?"
The others looked up, each of them shaking their heads.
His frown deepened. He was sure he'd left it on the table, planning to go back for it after they'd found Jose and Phantom Lord inside the town. So, how had it ended up with his belongings? He hadn't even opened his bag after he'd returned to the room where they'd watched the bald man turn down the alleyway.
He tucked it back into the pocket that he'd found it in and sighed. He'd worry about it later, when they weren't running for their lives.
They spent the next two weeks making their way back to Fairy Tail. The strange name and the golden star forever turning over in his mind as he tried to figure them out.
He asked Gildarts multiple times about Acnologia, and each time he was dismissed and brushed off, the subject changed, never getting a clear answer.
It was obvious that Gildarts knew more than he was letting on, for some reason refusing to talk about it. Even Gray and Erza had realised something was going on that their mentor was refusing to tell them about.
Their trek back to their hometown went smoothly, their journey far easier than the one they'd had while tracking Phantom Lord. They weren't being followed, but were still cautious as they travelled. They stayed away from other towns, intent on just getting home as quickly as they could.
When they finally walked through the gates of Fairy Tail, it was late in the afternoon. The four of them were covered in mud and grime, having been unable to stop at any towns to properly clean themselves up, bathing in streams instead.
Gildarts went off to report to Makarov, and Team Natsu headed out to their house to find clean clothes and grab their toiletries.
They were on their way to the baths, walking along the wooden walkway, when Natsu stopped, a slow grin spreading over his face. Lucy was heading towards them, having come from inside the cliff.
She was looking down at the walkway as she walked, clearly lost in thought, he realised as he softly said, "Lucy."
Erza and Gray both turned towards him, then followed his line of sight.
"Lucy!" He shouted, breaking away from his friends.
Things seemed to move in slow motion as Natsu's heart thudded in his chest, butterflies erupting in his belly, and before he even knew what he was doing, he was running as fast as he could towards her.
He watched as her steps faltered when she heard her own name, realising that it was him and that he was moving towards her, before she grinned and took off towards him.
When he realised what was about to happen, he slowed down, dropped his things, and opened his arms just in time for her to fly right into them, wrapping her own around his neck, and knocking them both to the wood beneath their feet.
They took no notice as people around them laughed and cheered, happy to see the two of them together again. Natsu wrapped his arms tightly around her as they fell, laughing. They hit the walkway and his breath was forced from his lungs, but his grin remained in place.
He held her close as she clung to him for a moment, before she leaned back to look down at him, her own grin just as bright as his. They stayed like that for a long moment, simply staring at each other, too elated to speak as they simply took the sight of each other in.
The gravity of the situation came crashing down when Gray and Erza walked past them, chuckling, before his raven haired friend turned back to them and teasingly said, "get a room next time, will you?"
Natsu dropped his eyes, finally realising exactly what kind of position they were in; Lucy sat straddled across his hips, her hands on his chest, twisted into his shirt, and leaning forward, still watching him. His own hands had found their way to the sides of her thighs as he lay flat beneath her.
He felt the blush rising all the way up to the tips of his ears, and cleared his throat, suddenly nervous, as he lifted his gaze back up to hers.
Lucy had frozen at Gray's words, and let go of his shirt. She clumsily slid to the side and away from Natsu, who immediately missed the reassuring feel of her weight against him.
He sat up, slightly embarrassed, and rubbed at the sore spot on the back of his head, breathing hard. "Hey, Luce," he said, watching her, the butterflies still dancing in his belly.
Her own cheeks were tinged pink and she laughed softly, still grinning at him, "Hey, Natsu."
As always, thank you guys so much for the reviews and follows. They all make me so happy! Let me know how you liked this chapter!
Copperreign, haha, it wasn't anything too exciting! The usual for Team Natsu, really.
samurai of sunflowers, thank you! I'm really glad you like it! It's good to know I'm getting their feelings across well, too. :D