. Lost Memories .
"I've got lost memories,
Can't even remember what we used to be,
We had a good time,
We had a good ride,
But it's lost forever."
~ "Lost Memories" by Mishon
Natsu had never been a big fan of museums. To him, they were boring, full of endless hours of waiting on people to stop staring at the same item that they'd been staring at all day. Yet, here he was, standing at the doors to one of the most famous museums in the country. Wendy stood beside him, chattering cheerfully with a friend from one of her classes. Gajeel had dropped them both off rather than making them ride the school bus with everyone else. Wendy's teacher, a calmly smiling woman, made sure they were all there - including Natsu, who she beamed at for some reason or another. He was willing to bet it was because no other adult had come along to keep the high schoolers in check.
Finally, she announced for the to follow her, and Natsu kept close to Wendy as he followed the small group into the museum, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. His onyx eyes roved columns, made of green marble that towered dozens of feet above their heads, as they entered. When they were inside, he saw a few display cases, and his eyes caught briefly on the golden hilt of a sword that was on display. He'd always loved the color gold, although he wasn't sure why.
It was the clacking that first caught his attention. Wendy gasped quietly - so quietly that he barely heard it. His eyes lifted from a particularly interesting gold object to his right and widened in shock when he saw the woman who had come to greet them. She was lovely, though not really his type, with a small slim body and confident stance. Her lips were curved into a pleasant smile, her eyes hidden by a piece of cloth that had been tied over them. A cane was held loosely in her hands, and she leaned lightly on it - the source of the clacking.
"Hello," she called, voice lifted so that everyone could hear her. She didn't pause at the curious whispers in the air, and Natsu felt a stab of sympathy for her. She must have been used to the comments about her eyes hidden. "My name is Levy McGarden, and I'll be giving you a tour of the museum - or, at least, the sections that pertain to the Ishgar era...if you'd like to see the other parts, however, I'm always willing to give a tour of those as well, you'll just have to come at a different time. If you'll follow me, we'll start with objects that were found in the oldest parts of Crocus, some even from Mercurius Castleā¦"
Natsu let himself zone out. He didn't care much for history, but the things were kind of cool to look at. He studied them as he walked, making sure none of the children were left behind like he'd promised to do when agreeing to help the teacher - a woman named Mirajane Strauss - with the group. He sort of listened to Levy as she talked, only focusing in on what she was saying when she talked about something he thought fascinating. There was a series of iron pieces that she seemed to particularly be fond of and Natsu thought the way she talked about them - with love and care - was so sincere that she must have been in love with whoever had owned them. He snickered to himself at the idea. You couldn't love someone who'd been alive thousands of years ago, it just wasn't possible.
It was while passing near a display case, his hand mindlessly rubbing his sternum, that he stopped to stare, his heart missing a beat. His eyes widened as feelings ripped through him, feelings and images he thought strange.
Red scales, shimmering in the light of the day, warm green eyes blinking slowly at him as heat swirled through the air, a rumbling roar deafening him, even as he smiled so brightly-
"Scales."
He jumped. Levy had appeared beside him, her lips tugged into a gentle smile, as if she knew exactly what he was looking at. He glanced at her and then turned to look at the piece of fabric cradled within the display case. Levy was seemingly looking towards the case, her face turned away from him. "It's supposedly made of scales and belonged to a man in a guild. The most well-known guild. Stories say he was loved by many and loved his partner fiercely enough that he nearly died for her several times. He never took it off."
Natsu thought she spoke of this man as if he was family, like she'd spoken of the iron but a little different.
He didn't say anything for a few moments. Finally, the only comment he could make was a simple, "What idiot wears a scarf in the summer?"
Levy grinned and turned away, walking back to lead the group and continue the tour as her cane clacked against the ground. The sound filled his ears like the images filled his mind, and Natsu watched after her curiously.
Who is she really?
Rewritten as of April 13th, 2018
Eyyy, another one.
