Haloha. everyone! Hope you're having a good day! Thanks for the reviews as always! I thought I'd release this chapter a day earlier.
This chapter will only focus on Natsu and Lucy's relationship (for the most part; NaLu readers are in for a treat, sort of). An odd plot development for a NaWen fanfiction, perhaps. But rest assured, my NaWen readers ;) ...
Anyhow, since this is a mainly NaLu chapter, this chapter on the shorter side. I think was able to capture their relationship the way I intended it to be.
Enjoy reading!
Chapter 23: What I Truly Feel
The Sun shone its rays through the windows, signaling the start of a brand new day. The light landed on Natsu's face, driving him to wake up.
It's morning already, huh? Natsu rubbed his eyes with his forearm. I feel like I didn't even get a wink of sleep last night. Natsu rose from his bed and stretched his arms. He noticed Happy was still sound asleep. Better be careful not to wake him up. He stood from his bed and walked towards the window. He clapped his face, trying to motivate himself.
Time to see Lucy!
After readying himself, Natsu made pace to the Fairy Tail guild. He was donning his signature attire alongside his white scarf. Basically, this is what he was already wearing before.
Lucy should be waiting in front of the guild. Natsu thought. As the guild started appearing in full view, he couldn't help but think about the bluenette who was on a mission.
No, Natsu. Don't worry about her. She'll be fine. Natsu shook his head. He told himself to have faith in his friends. Still, there was a slight uneasiness in his heart.
As he approached the guild, a familiar scent swept through his nose. A scent he recognized all too well. There was also a hint of sweetness mixed in with the scent.
Lucy? He saw her standing in front of the guild entrance. She was wearing her signature blue shirt with a dark sleeve covering her left arm, a short white skirt, as well as dark leather boots. She seemed to be rubbing her fingers together, visibly nervous.
Did I come too early? Does my hair look right? Many thoughts rushed into Lucy's mind. This was technically her first date, so she wanted to give the best impressions to Natsu.
"Hey, Lucy!" A voice interrupted her train of thought.
"N-Natsu?" Lucy turned her head around and saw him.
"Did you wait long?" Natsu asked as he approached her.
"N-No, I only just got here." Lucy twiddled her fingers. In reality, she came here 15 minutes early because so she could mentally prepare herself.
This sure looks like it came straight out of a dating scene from a romance manga. Lucy thought to herself. She found this rather endearing.
"I see." Natsu grinned. He noticed another scent passing through his nose, which was sweet. "That's a really nice scent you got there."
"O-Oh, thanks!" Lucy smiled. "I picked out this perfume for this date. I… hope you like it."
"I sure do!" Natsu put his arms behind his back. It reminded him of a much sweeter scent…
"So, shall we begin our date?" Lucy said, stretching out her hand.
Natsu gently took her hand in his. "Of course! I'm all fired up!"
Since Natsu and Lucy already discussed their date in advance, they wouldn't have to stress themselves out. Normally, Lucy wouldn't plan dates this way in great detail… but it was with Natsu. Because it was him, she could just be herself. They'd learn about dates together. They'd learn about feelings together. They'd learn what it means to love each other. And maybe, by the end of this date, Natsu would return her feelings... if things go well.
"It's a beautiful morning, isn't it, Natsu?" Lucy asked cheerfully.
"Yeah!" Natsu replied. "So, the first activity of the day is getting some food, right?"
"Haha, aren't you an eager one?" Lucy poked his cheek. "I… actually have a place in mind."
"Oh, sure! What do you have in mind?"
Lucy put a finger to her lips. "It's a surprise."
"What?" Natsu raised his eyebrows. "This... wasn't part of the plan, was it?"
"It wouldn't be a surprise, then." Lucy winked, then dragged his arm. "Follow me!"
"Haha, lead the way!"
Lucy brought Natsu to an old-looking yet beautiful town with a fishing port. Natsu's eyes immediately lighted up as he realized where Lucy dragged him.
"Hargeon Town?" Natsu asked.
"Yeah!" Lucy exclaimed.
"It's where we met for the first time, didn't we?" Memories of their first encounter flashed through his mind.
"Yeah! I'm glad you remember!"
On that faithful day, when Natsu and Happy were searching for his father Igneel, he came across Lucy. She was under a magic spell of Charm Magic caused by Bora the Prominence. Eventually, she broke out of the spell when she saw Natsu for the first time…
"Wow, you wanted to bring me here?" Natsu's eyes widened.
"I remember you practically scarfing tons of food down your mouth. You almost left me broke!"
Lucy treated Natsu and Happy to a meal since they hadn't eaten anything for a while. Lucy told Natsu about how she wanted to join a guild and be a full-fledged wizard. At the time, she wasn't aware that Natsu himself was part of the guild she was hoping to join.
"You even reserved the same table!" Natsu exclaimed. "This brings back so many memories."
"… I'm surprised you even remember that, Natsu." Lucy said awkwardly. She reserved the same table by coincidence. Out of all the things he could remember, the same table wasn't what she expected.
Lucy got herself into trouble with Bora the Prominence, believing he was part of Fairy Tail. He invited her to his party, to which Lucy agreed to. Unfortunately, things seemed suspicious. Bora and his men were capturing girls by using Sleep Magic, seeing them as merchandise. Luckily, Natsu arrived just in time, angered by Bora pretending to be a wizard of Fairy Tail, angered someone would dare tarnish Fairy Tail's name. It was at this moment Natsu revealed he was a Fairy Tail wizard to Lucy's surprise, After knocking out Bora and destroying a sizable portion of the port, Natsu escaped with Lucy and brought her to Fairy Tail.
The day where it all started. The day when she became a Fairy Tail wizard. A fateful encounter.
"Unbelievable! The food tastes the same just as it did back then!" Natsu scarfed the food down his mouth.
"Hey now, take it easy." Lucy said with a smile. She rested her chin on her hands, which were plopped upright on the table. She was content, seeing Natsu scarf down his food so happily. Just as he did back then. She reminisced about those memories.
"You're not eating much, Lucy?" Natsu noticed there wasn't much food on her plate.
"Oh, don't mind me. This is enough." Lucy waved a hand. "Your appetite has never changed, eh Natsu?"
"Haha, you can't go wrong with delicious food!" Natsu continued chomping down on his food. "Still, I really didn't expect you'd bring me here… but I'm really happy. This holds a special place in my heart."
"Me too, Natsu." Lucy giggled. "After all, it's where we first met."
"That gets me all fired up!" Natsu stacked the plates together after finishing his meal. "It's a great start to the date, eh?"
"Hell yeah! It's only just the beginning!" Lucy stood up, then stretched out her hand to Natsu. "Ready to move on to the next thing?"
"Yeah!" Natsu grinned, reaching out her hand.
After they finished their meals and paid for the food, they continued on with their date sticking to most of the plans, spending lots of time together. A few hours later, their date has now brought them to the beach…
The sounds of water crashing against the sand could be heard. A few birds could be heard chirping in the sky. The beach seemed to be vacant, save for the duo who just entered.
"Wew, when was the last time we've had fun on the beach?" Natsu asked.
"Maybe since the Grand Magic Games? It's been a long time." Lucy stretched her arms upwards, then took off her leather boots and socks. There was that time when we were going undercover…?
"Haha, is that so?" Natsu put his hands on his hips. "Those were the da-"
SPLASH!
"What are you doing standing there?" Lucy splashed water towards Natsu, interrupting him. She had already jumped into the water. "Get in!"
"Hey, that's uncalled for!" Natsu laughed, using his scarf to wipe the water off of him. He took his sandals off, feeling the texture of the sand beneath his feet. He watched Lucy in deep thought, observing how the Sun highlighted her blonde hair and fair skin. She's quite pretty…
"… What are you staring at?" Lucy asked.
"Just enjoying the view." Natsu replied flatly. "It's… peaceful."
"That's surprising coming from you." Lucy cupped water in her hands. "Things tend to be rowdy and rough with you around."
"Hey… I can be a peaceful guy when I want." Natsu narrowed his eyes.
"Yeah, right." Lucy stuck her tongue out, then kicked the water towards Natsu.
"… Hey, Lucy." Ignoring getting drenched, Natsu stared at the sea. "How did you realize you were… in love with me?"
Lucy stood still for a moment, then turned to him. "That's… really difficult to answer, Natsu." She put her hands behind her back. "Funny enough, Wendy asked me something like that a while back."
"Oh, she did?" Natsu folded his arms thoughtfully.
"Yeah." Lucy kicked the water around, creating a few splashes. "I think I realized it… when you were gone for a year."
"I-I see…" Natsu looked off the side, feeling a bit guilty.
"Have you ever heard a saying like 'you never realize how important someone is to you until they're gone'?" Lucy asked. "I think that's what I've gone through when I thought you'd never come back. It made realize how badly I missed you."
Her words triggered a painful memory to flash through Natsu's mind, causing him to grip his head.
"Natsu?" Lucy called him in a concerned tone.
"... Yeah." Natsu crouched down to squeeze the sand beneath him. "I felt that way before."
"... You did?"
"When Rouge... or I guess it was Rouge from the future... killed the you from the future." Natsu continued. "It felt like... I lost you."
"Natsu..." Lucy crouched down in front of him, caressing his cheek. "Thank you for being by my side."
"Lucy…" Natsu averted his gaze. This topic was beginning to leave him uncomfortable. "I… uh…"
"Don't worry." Lucy smiled, sensing his regret. "Now that you're here by my side, I've never been happier. I truly mean it."
"… I'm glad."
"Just seeing your dorky smile…" Lucy placed her hand on his lip. "… is enough to take my breath away."
"Dorky, you say?" Natsu grinned. Her smile I want to see…
"Whenever I hold your hand…" Lucy brushed her fingers against his hand. "… it makes my heart feel all giddy."
Natsu responded by holding her hands. Her hands I want to hold…
"Being with you, right here, right now…" Lucy gazed at the sunset, feeling heat rising in her face. "I feel safe and content."
"Lucy…" Natsu took her words to heart. He could understand the sincerity and feelings behind them. Being with her…
"I find myself… thinking of you, wanting to be with you." Lucy ducked down and splashed water across his face. "… Jeez!".
"H-Hey!" Natsu wiped the water off his face, taken by surprise. He returned a laugh. "What was that for?"
"You're making me say some embarrassing things!" Lucy splashed another wave of water. "Take that!"
"Now, you're on!" Natsu cracked his knuckles, then splashed the water in front of him. "Water Dragon Splash!"
"Missed me!" Lucy dodged to the side, then began running in the opposite direction. "Catch me if you can!"
"We'll see about that!" Natsu lunged himself forward in Lucy's direction, grabbing her by her waist.
"H-Hey! That's not fair!" Both Lucy and Natsu fell down in to the water, resulting in a huge splash.
"Got'cha!" Natsu pinned her down by her arms.
Lucy wrapped her legs around him and pushed him over, causing their positions to be switched. "No, you don't!"
Natsu's eyes widened in surprise. "W-Wow, you've really gotten stronger, huh." Now Lucy was on top of him, sitting on his stomach.
"I told you! I've been training hard." Lucy giggled, then stood up and extended her hand. "Here."
Natsu took her hand and stood up. "Haha, you never cease to amaze me."
"I still got a few tricks up my sleeve!" Lucy raised her fists. "How about another round?"
Natsu unwrapped the scarf from his neck and tied it around his head. "You're on!"
And so, the dragon slayer and celestial wizard had fun for a little while longer.
Evening…
…
..
.
During the date, they recounted their various memories of Fairy Tail, from the moment Lucy joined to the crazy adventures they've been through.
"Somehow, Natsu, you roped me into becoming part of the strongest team." Lucy said, referring Erza and Gray when they first met.
"Hey now, we're partners! You deserve to be part of the team. You should see how far you've come!" Natsu boasted. Most of Lucy's crazy adventures had happened because she usually got involved with the crazy trio of Natsu, Gray, and Erza.
"Haha, I'm really glad I've got to experience many adventures with you, Natsu." Lucy put her hands behind her back. "With you, Gray, Erza, and Wendy. We always get ourselves into crazy adventures, yet it's always been fun."
Wendy…
"Come to think of it, Wendy has changed a lot too, hasn't she?" Lucy said. "She isn't the same little meek girl she used to be since she joined Fairy Tail."
"… Yeah." Natsu has fought countless battles alongside her. He witnessed how much she's grown over the past years, as both a person and a wizard.
"You know, back then… I really didn't feel like a capable wizard. Standing to the rest of you, I felt weak… useless." Lucy said in a sad tone.
"Awww… we've never thought of you like that, Lucy."
"Yeah..." Lucy smiled. "You, my friends, Fairy Tail… you've always been by my side, always supporting me." She held his hand. "Without all of you, I wouldn't have become the person I am now."
"You know Fairy Tail's always with you, Luce. We're your family!" Natsu grinned. "And that will never change."
"Except the one year you left, apparently…" Lucy said in a joking manner.
"H-Hey now… " Natsu nervously chuckled. "W-We still managed to bring back the guild together!"
"Haha, I know, I know." Lucy giggled, then nuzzled her face against his chest.
"L-Lucy?"
"… Don't ever do that again." Lucy said in a serious tone. "I missed you… so much."
"… Of course, Lucy." Natsu caressed her hair. "I won't ever do it again. I'll always be here with you."
"Promise?" Lucy looked up to him.
"Promise." Natsu flashed his signature smile.
"… Okay." Lucy sighed in relief, then looked up to the dark sky. "The moon sure is beautiful tonight."
"… It sure is, Lucy." Natsu gazed into her eyes, then caressed her cheek. "But not as beautiful as you are."
"Natsu…" A faint red grew on Lucy's cheeks. "Did you take this from one of your romance stories?"
"Hey now, I'm trying to be romantic here!" Natsu huffed.
"I give you an A+ for effort." Lucy giggled, then snuggled against his hand. "But I don't particularly mind it."
"…" Natsu noticed the softness of her cheek…
"Natsu?" Lucy noticed he seemed to be lost in thought.
"O-Oh, what is it?" Natsu pulled back his hand.
"Is something on your mind?"
"… No, it's nothing." He shook his head. "Just… thinking how soft your cheek was."
"I-I see." Lucy said, feeling blood rushing to her face. They both remained silent for a while, simply gazing at the skies.
"What… do you think of the date, Natsu?" Lucy asked, breaking the silence. Their date was coming to a close. "Did you have fun?"
"I had a lot of fun, Lucy. Being with you… it's always a blast." Natsu grinned.
"You're not saying that to make me happy, are you?" Lucy asked in a playful manner, lightly pinching her arm.
"Haha, I'm not." Natsu waved a hand. "I'd never lie about this."
"I know. I'm glad to hear that." Lucy stood in front of him. "Did you… understand a bit more about your feelings?"
"…" Natsu put a hand over her chest, then looked straight at Lucy. Every second he spent with Lucy… it was fun and precious to him. There was never a dull day hanging out with her. It made him feel at peace.
My feelings…
"I sure hope so." Natsu chuckled, then continued with a serious tone. "I think I understand your feelings better."
Lucy gently intertwined her hands with his. "I'm sorry… for that time I confessed to you. I wasn't considerate of your feelings."
"You have nothing to apologize for, Lucy." Natsu gave her a warm smile. "Thanks to you, I'm understanding more about love. About my own feelings."
"Natsu..." Lucy caressed his cheek. You've always been so kind to me… I'm falling for you all over again.
Natsu simply smiled, taking her hand in his.
"I love you." Lucy bared out her feelings, gazing into his onyx eyes, which glistened under the moonlight.
He could sense the emotions and sincerity in her voice. In her love.
He was sure this was… romantic love.
Remaining silent, Natsu gently held both of her shoulders, gazing at her lips.
"If you finally understand your feelings by this time… and you feel the same way about me…"
What I feel about you…
Lucy closed her eyes, surrendering herself to Natsu. Natsu gently pulled her, closing the distance between their lips…
Only to freeze a few inches away.
What I truly feel about you…
"I'm sorry, Lucy."
"… Natsu?"
"I don't feel the same way."
