Here is the newest chapter! I am so sorry that it has been so many months since my last update. School has been hectic and I have been to swamped to update, and I have been working one some new stories that I am hoping to post soon. No worries though because I don't plan to leave this unfinished.

I have many of the chapters already written out and only a few left that I have yet to write. One of such chapters is the one where they finally get together. I am a bit stumped on how I should go about having them get together. If anyone has any ideas, just leave it in a review. If I choose to use your idea, I will tell you.

I also want to thank everyone that has been patient with me and has been with me since the very beginning. Thank you very much!

I hope you like this chapter.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The story Fairy Tail.

ENJOY!


Chapter 10

Trust Your Partner in Battle

"Uhg, you're so heavy Lucy!" Whined Happy, who is carrying me while flying back to Natsu. Natsu has ordered him to take me away, ignoring my adamant protest, until he has finished the battle. The nerve of him! How dare he! I may not be the strongest wizard in the guild, but I can keep my own and protect myself, especially against this caliber of a wizard.

"Shut up you stupid cat," I yell at him annoyed. I'm not that heavy! "I'm not the one who eats at least a pound of fish every day; you're the one who is out of shape and heavy."

"Hey, fish is yummy! I'm not out of shape; you're the one who is heavy! By the way, the fee for me carrying you is the rest of the fish in your refrigerator," he says nonchalantly, down-playing the significance of what he said.

"You always finish all the fish I have, besides, I'm not the one who told you to carry me. In fact, I told you not to carry me," I said ticked off. Really, sometimes I just want to strangle the cat, with his own precious fish, but knowing him, he would enjoy it.

"Whatever weirdo," he says grudgingly. Then thankfully he finally shuts up.

Stupid Natsu! I was doing just fine until he decided to intervene. I finally agreed to go on this mission that he has been begging me for the past week to go on, and it was all going smoothly until Natsu decided to take it all upon himself to finish off my opponent. Does he know how that makes me feel? Does he think I am weak, too weak to even battle this subpar mage? Does he think I'm not even fit to be his partner? Doesn't he trust me at all?

Happy and I finally reach where the battle had taken place, luckily it was on an open field and not in a city where he would have destroyed everything and caused us to lose all the pay. I see that all the bandits are defeated and already tied up. A quick look around shows me that, thankfully, nothing got destroyed. It's an open field and all, pretty hard to damage, but Natsu could somehow find some way to decimate it.

Happy drops me to the ground, probably remembering the little tiff we just had, and I ungracefully fall on my butt, hard. I get up mumbling some words that the lady I was brought up to be was never supposed to utter, thank you Fairy Tail for your colorful language, all the while rubbing my butt trying to get the sting out of it. Stupid Happy, couldn't he have waited until I had my feet solidly on the ground before he dropped me? Let's see if he will find any fish in my house for the next couple of weeks. Ha!

"Lucy, I'm finished," he said while smiling, pointing out the painstakingly obvious.

I frown, not in the mood to dignify him with a response and deal with his naivity today, "Oh, really now?" I ask in a dead tone.

"Yea," he said excitedly, obviously not noticing my displeasure with him. "And look," he said, pointing around, "I didn't even destroy anything this time," he said proud of himself, as if it was such a big achievement, and I guess for him it sort of is. It's pretty sad.

"That's just great," I said in the same dead tone.

This time he does notice. "Hey, what's wrong," he asks, walking up to potentially comfort me.

I wasn't having that. I step back from him, looking at him incredulously. Oh come on! Even he can't be that stupid! He must know what's got me upset. How could he not know it's him and his actions that's got me all upset?

Seeing that I have stepped back away from him, Natsu looks at me confused. "Lucy, seriously, you've got to tell me what's upsetting you," he tells me worried. He again tries to walk toward me, but I step back in response.

He doesn't give up, he keeps walking towards me, not being deterred by me walking backwards to get away from him. Even though this is a big clearing, I soon find myself pressed against the rough bark of a tree with Natsu too close for me to move away.

"Natsu," I said in a low, dangerous tone that promises retribution, "Move away, now," I demand.

"No," he said stubbornly.

"Natsu," I growl.

"No, not until you tell me what's wrong," he said forcefully, meaning business.

With that I just blow up. "You're what's wrong!" I yell loudly at him, letting all my anger and frustration out.

He takes a step back in surprise, and I almost regret yelling at him when I see the kicked puppy look on his face, almost.

"What did I do?" he asked desperately, trying to think of what he could have possibly have done.

"What did you do?! I don't know, what did you do?" I ask his mockingly, hoping he can figure it out for himself and I won't have to spell it out for him.

"I don't know! That's why I'm asking you!" he shouts at me in exasperation.

"Well, I don't know," I say sarcastically, "Maybe, it was you forcing me to go away in the middle of battle."

He looks at me confused but not regretful.

"So what," He asks, obviously not getting it.

"Do you know how that makes me feel," I asked, starting to tear up. "Do you think I am that incompetent? Do you want a new partner since you can't even trust the one you have enough to fight a simple battle?" I asked him, full out crying now.

He looks stricken and immediately rushes to comfort me. He takes me into his arms and starts whispering in a comforting voice, "Oh Lucy, it's not like that. It's not that I don't think you're strong or don't trust you and want a new partner. It's just that . . ." He said, struggling to express the last part. I look up to see his face twisted in a mask of uncharacteristic anger.

"It's just that . . . what?" I asked encouragingly.

"That – that – that guy, was disrespecting you. Did you hear what he was saying to you?" he said, positively enraged.

I do know what he is talking about. The guy I was battling with was a real creep and had a lot of derogatory things to say. He was making lewd comments, staring at me in places that no gentlemen would be staring at, and constantly trying to cope a feel during the battle. To top it all off, he was extraordinarily cocky. He told me what he was going to do with me once he defeated me, and trust me, I'm going to need to find a way to bleach my brain to get rid of that repulsive visual. It was disgusting. There was no way I was going to be defeated by a second class wizard like him.

I scoff at him even though I get the sentiment behind his logic. "Please, have more faith in me. I could have handled myself, he was a small fry," I said with rightful arrogance.

He pulls away from me and puts his hands on my shoulder. He stared me straight in the eye and replies. "I know you could have defeated him, but I wasn't about to stand there and watch my partner be disrespected without doing something about it."

With him staring so intently at me, I couldn't help but blush and become all flustered. "T-that doesn't mean what you did was right, you had no right to disrupt my battle and send me away like a child that needs protection," I said, but without any conviction, his sincerity breaking me down. His gaze into mine has yet to falter.

Seeing my indecisiveness, he jumped in for the kill. "I'm sorry about what I did and for the feeling's I unintentionally caused you, but I don't regret doing it. If the same situation ever happens again in the future, I will do it again," he said seriously, sincerely.

Feeling flustered from his protectiveness and respect for me, my blush grows and I am forced to look away from him. I don't respond because I am speechless and don't exactly know how to proceed.

I am thankful for his consideration of my feelings, but if he thinks I will ever again let something like this happen again, he is seriously dumb. He doesn't need to know that though. I'm just going to let him think that I will play the damsel in distress, but my days of being one are done. I'm done with fighting with him for today though, and I want the element of surprise in case he tries to pull this stunt again, so remain silent.

Taking my silence as acceptance and forgiveness, partially correct, his serious face melts away and goes back into his usual carefree state. His trademark smile returns full force. My heart flutters in response.

"Come on Lucy," he said cheerfully. "Let's go turn in these bandits for the reward and go home," he said enthusiastically, already pulling me towards where the bandits are tied up.

"Okay," I said brightly, letting myself be pulled along.

Poor, naïve bunny. You really shouldn't believe everything you are told. When the dragon heard what that snake was saying, he almost flew into a violent rage. You are his bunny, not some horny snakes. Only he's allowed to think of you in that sort of way. He sent you away so he could beat the living daylights out of the snake himself. He really didn't like the thought of another male with his bunny, even if he knew it would never have happened. But dragon, you really shouldn't believe the bunny is ever going to sit around and listen to what you say; you fell in love with a kick-ass bunny, not a whimpering and cowering one. Oh well, he'll just have to see for this himself.


I hope you enjoyed it!

How was it? Boring? Bad? Nice?

Please review and tell me what you think, bad or good, tell me. Just a reminder, if you have any ideas for how they should get together, please tell me.

REVIEW!